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HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 



THE HISTORY 



CITY OF MEMPHIS, 

BEIXG A COMPILATION OF THE 

Mos( Importaut Documents ami Historical Events Couuecteil willi the Purcliaso 
of its Territory, laying off of the City aud early Settlement. 

ALSO, 

THE "OLD TIMES PAPERS," 



Series of reminiscences an'cT local stories written bj- the author, and published 

in the Daily Appeal over the signature of '-Old Times,"" con-ected, 

revised and enlarged.with other important matters pertaining 

to the same, never heretofore published, and, beyond 

the author, but partially known . 



33 .V •JJ^l^E.S T), JDJ^^VJS, ^ 



A RESIDENT OF THIS BLUFF FOR OVEK FORTY-FIVE TEAKa 



.^:'£:3/:'J 



3IEMPH1S, TENNESSEE: 

TIITE, CRUMrTON & KELLY, PRINTERS. 



1873, 



Entered accordiug to act of Congress, in the year A. D. 1873, 

By JAMES D. DAVIS, 

in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washino-ton. 






>/^ 



PREFACE. 



The principal object of this work is to preserve, as far 
as it now remains practicable, that portion of the His- 
tory of Memphis liable to be lost by time and culpable 
neglect. More than half a century has passed since the 
territory on which it stands was laid off into lots, 
streets, squares and allej^s, preparatory to the building 
of a town. Incidents and anecdotes of rare interest 
have died with those who alone knew them. Even 
individuals of standing and influence in their da}^ have 
been so completely forgotten, that in some instances 
where their names have slipped my memory I have been 
wholly unable to recover them from others. Take, for 
instance, the name of Judge Benjamin Foy, who lived 
immediately opposite, on the Arkansas shore. A few 
years ago, or before the publication of the " Old Times" 
stories, there were perhaps not twenty men on this bluff, 
who had ever heard of such a man, and yet he was 
once the most important personage within hundreds of 
miles distant — the man whom Yolne}^, and other writers, 
statesmen and tourists sought for valuable information 
and social intercourse; the last Spanish Alcalda this 
side of Texas, whose official duties glided from one 
government to another, with perhaps as little confusion 
as is now experienced by some of our country magis- 



4 PREFACE. 

trates after the sitting of a new legislature. To save 
from oblivion such names, will be my greatest eftbrt. 

Reminiscences, prior to 1840, I will endeavor to give 
as full and accurate as possible. After that date I shall 
be less particular, from the fact that there are many 
living whose leisure and opportunities enable them to do 
the subject far greater justice than mj^self. I shall now 
have broken the ice, awakened an interest, and opened a 
field which will doubtless prove remunerative and inter- 
esting to future efforts in the same direction. In refer- 
ence to our late unfortunate civil war, I shall have as 
little to say as possible; far rather would I obliterate 
than revive its memories; and were they even pleasant, 
would be out of place here. In my " Old Times Papers," 
numerous errors appeared, w^hich, through the aid of 
Judge Lea, and others, I have been in a great measure 
able to correct. There are some who have made them- 
selves quite noisy about errors. I have called to see 
some of these, and have been astonished to find how 
very defective their memories wxre, and when brought 
to a point, the difference would prove nothing more than 
what might occur between two conscientious witnesses 
in reference to a recent affray; and with rare exceptions, 
I was more confirmed in my opinions. (One singular 
feature, though, and which I am told by an old pro- 
fessional writer is a \evy common one, was, that I never 
gave oftense where I anticipated or feared doing so, but 
invariabl}^ where 1 least dreamed of it.) Others, again, 
haA'e expressed alarm lest their sacred names may be 
desecrated through these pages. To such I would say, 
make yourselves easy; I would not injure you for the 
world. I have offended some in mv stories, as heretofore 
published, by failing to name them, and in some instances 
have done them injustice bv such omissions; while others 



PREFACE. 5 

have been terribly incensed at finding their names, even 
in complimentary terms, alluded to. These latter, how- 
ever, were but few, and remarkable only for ignorance. 
All such names have since been omitted. 

I have a large amount of manuscript, giving biograph- 
ical sketches of important individuals, most of which 
would be well worthy a place, but I do not propose 
making this an advertising medium. 

Upon the whole, however, I suppose I have gotten 
along fully as well as any one could, occupying as humble 
a position as myself. As to critics — a class of beings 
whom amateur authors are generally so desperately afraid 
of — I will say, go ahead and say just what you please. 

The Author. 



HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 



A complete history of Memphis might require me to 
go back, if not to the discovery of the Mississippi river 
by DeSoto— which many believe to have occurred at this " 
point— at least to give an account of its occupation by 
Governor Gayoso and the different other powers which 
alternately held it prior to its falling into the possession 
of the United States government, and more particularly 
the Indian wars, which have occurred within the memory 
of persons still living, and the names of the different 
forts erected on it. But these are all matters of history 
and I should be able to add very little to what has 
already been written. I shall, therefore, select as my 
starting point the John Rice and John Ramsey grants, 
covering the territory on which the city of Memphis is 
situated; and as these grants have, from time to time 
furnished subjects of controversy and litigation, I have' 
thought proper to devote considerable space to them. 

THE JOHN RICE GRANT. 

State of North Carolina. No. 283. 
To all to whom these presents shall come— Greeting : 

Know ye, that we, for and in consideration of the sum of 
ten pounds for every hundred acres hereby granted, paid 
into our Treasury by John Rice, have given and -ranted, 



8 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

and by these presents'do give and grant unto the said 
John Rice, a tract of laud containing five thousand acres, 
lyino- and being in the Western District, lying on the 
Chickasaw Bluff. Beginning about one mile below the 
mouth of Wolf river, at a whiteoak tree, marked J R, 
running north twenty degrees, east two hundred and 
twenty-six poles; thence due north one hundred and 
thirty-three poles; thence north twenty-seven degrees, 
west three hundred and ten poles to a cotton wood tree; 
thence due east one thousand three hundred and seventy- 
seven and nine-tenth poles to a mulberry tree ; thence 
south six hundred and twenty-five poles to a stake; 
thQuce west one thousand three hundred and four and 
nine-tenths poles to the beginning, as by the plat^' here- 
unto annexed doth appear, together with all woods, 
waters, mines, minerals, hereditaments and appurte- 
nances to the said land belonging or appertaining: To 
hold to the said John Rice, his heirs and assigns forever- 
yielding and paying to us such sums of money yearly, 
Iv otherwise as our General Assembly from time to time 
shall cause. This grant to be Registered in the Register's 
Office of our s?id Western District within twelve months 
from the date hereot; otherwise the same shall be void 
and of no eff*ect. 

In testimony whereof, we have caused these our letters 
to be made patent, and our great seal to be hereunto 
affixed. Witness Samuel Johnson, Esquire, our Govenor^ 
Captain General and Commander m Chief, at Halilax 
the twenty-fifth day of April, in the XIII J^^y!^^' 
Independence, and of our Lord, one thousand se.en 
hundred and eighty-nine. 

By his Excellency's command. ^^^^ joHNSON. 

J. Glasgow, Secretary. 

Scale of two hundred poles to the inch. 
* Unavoidah'y omitted. 



the john rice grant. 9 

State of North Carolina,) 
Western District, f 

B}^ virtiire of a wnrmnt from the State Entry Taker, 
No. 382, dated the twenty-fourth day of June, one 
thousand seven hundred and eighty-four, I have surveyed 
for John Eice five thousand acres of land, lying on the 
Chickasaw Bluff; beginning about one mile below the 
mouth of Wolf river, at a whiteoak tree, marked J R, 
running north twenty degrees, east two hundred and 
twenty-six poles; thence due north one hundred and 
thirty-three poles; thence north twenty-seven degrees, 
west three hundred and ten poles to a cotton wood tree; 
thence due east one thousand three hundred and sev- 
enty-seven and nine-tenths poles to a mulberry tree; 
thence south six hundred and twent^^-five poles to a 
stake ; thence west one thousand three hundred and four 
and nine-tenths poles to the beginning. 

Survej'ed December 1st, 1786. 

ISAAC ROBERTS, D. S. 
John Scott, l q. n C 
Thos. Jamison, j ' ' * 

Orange County, Register's Office,) 
August 14th, 1789. f 
The within Grant is registered in book M, folio 117. 
By JOHN ALLISON, P. R. 

State of Tennessee,) 
Countj^ of Shelb}'. f 
Received five dollars, being the amount of the State 
tax on the within Grant. This 4th May, 1820. 

WILLIAM LAWRENCE, Clerk. 

State of Tennessee, Shelby County,) 
Register's Office, 14th May, 1820. j 
The foregoing Grant is duly registered in my office. 
This 5th May, 1820. THOS. TAYLOR, R.S. C. 



10 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

A true cop3^ from Record Book A., page 149. Mem- 
phis, Tcnii., June 9th, 1873. 

JOHN BROWN, Register. 



THE JOHN RAMSEY GRANT. 

No. 19,060. Recorded May 10th, 1823. 

The State of Tennessee. 
To all to whom these presents shall come — Greeting : 

Know 3'e, that in consideration of Warrant No. 383, 
dated the 24:th day of June, 1784, issued by John Arm- 
strong, Entry Officer of Claims for the North Carolina 
western lands, to John Ramsey, for five thousand acres, 
and entered on the 25th day of October, 1783 : by No. 383, 
there is granted by the said State of Tennessee, unto 
the said John Ramsey and John Overton, assignee, &c., 
a certain tract or parcel of land, containing five thousand 
acres by surve}", bearing date the first day of March, 
1822, lying in Shelby county, eleventh district, ranges 
eight and nine, sections one and two, on the Mississippi 
river, of which to said Ramsej;- four thousand two hundred 
eighty-five and five-seventh acres, and to said Overton 
seven hundred and fourteen and two-seventh acres, and 
bounded as follows, to-wit: Beginning at a stake on the 
bank of said river — the southwest corner of John Rice's 
five thousand acre grant, as processioned by William Law- 
rence in the 3^ear 1820 — running thence south eightj^-five 
degrees, east with said Rice's south boundary line, as 
processioned aforesaid, one hundred and seventy-five 
chains to a poplar marked R; thence south two hundred 
chains to an elm marked F R; thence west, at sixty-two 
chains, crossing a branch bearing south, at seventy chains 
crossing a branch bearing southeast, at one hundred and 



I'HE JOHN RAMSEY GRANT. 11 

nineteen chains crossing a branch bearing south, and at 
one hundred and sixty chains a branch bearing south — 
in all two hundred and seventy-three chains to a cotton- 
wood marked F R, on the bank of the Mississippi river; 
thence up the margin of said river, with its meanders, 
north seven degrees, east eleven chains, north one degree, 
east five chains and thirty-five links, north ten and a-half 
chains, north eight degrees, east fourteen chains, north 
twenty-two degrees, east eleven chains and sixty-three 
links, north eight3"-six degrees, east four chains and sixty- 
three links, north twenty-nine degrees, east seven chains 
and ten links, north four degrees, west three chains and 
twentj^-seven links, north five degrees, east six chains, 
north ten degrees, east three chains, north thirty-one, 
east sixteen chains, north nineteen degrees, east six 
chains, north four degrees, east thirteen chains and sev- 
enty links, north fourteen degrees, east thirteen chains 
and nineteen links, north twenty-six, east thirteen chains 
and eight links, north forty-three, east seven and one- 
half chains, north thirt}^ east twenty-two chains and 
thirty-eight links, north fort}", east one chain and eight 
links, north fifty-three, east one chain and t went}- four 
links, north forty-nine, east three chains, north thirt}"- 
three, east five chains and eighty links, north forty-seven 
east seventeen chains, north thirty-six, east four chains 
and thirty-four links, north forty-nine degrees, east six 
chains and fifty-seven links, north thirty-nine degrees, 
east thirty-three and one-half chains; thence north thirt}'- 
six degrees, east twelve and one-half chains to the 
beginning; with the hereditaments and appurtenances: 
To have and to hold the said tract or parcel of land, with 
its appurtenances, to the said John Ramsey and John 
Overton and their heirs forever. 

In witness whereof, William Carroll, Governor of the 



12 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

State of Tennessee, liatli hereunto set his hand and caused 
the great seal of the State to be affixed, at Murfreesbo- 
rough, on the thirtieth da}^ of April, in the year of our 
Lord 1823, and of the independence of the United Stales 
the forty-seventh. By the Governor. 

WILLIAM CARROLL. 
Daniel Graham, Secretary. 

I, Alexander Kocsis, Register of the Land Office for 
the District of Middle Tennessee, do hereby certif3^ that 
the foregoing is a true copy of Grant No. 19,060 of the 
State of Tennessee, to John Ramse}' and John Overton, 
as the same stands recorded in my office, in book V, page 
415. Given under m^^ hand, at office, this 15th day of 
June, 1867. 

ALEXANDER KOCSIS, 

Register Land Office. 

By A. Gattinger, Deputjr. 

State of Tennessee, ) 
Shelby County. f 
The foregoing instrument, with Clerk's certificate, was 
filed in m}^ office for registration on the sixth day of 
March, 1872, at 10:40 o'clock, a. m., and noted in Note 
Book No. 7, page 120, and was recorded on the seventh 
day of March, 1872. 

JOHN BROWN, Register. 
By J. C. Buster, D. R. 

State of Tennessee, } 
Shelby County. \ 

I, John Brown, Register of said county, certify that 
the foregoing is a true copy of the Ramsey Grant, as 
recorded in my office, in Book No. 86, pages 89 and 90. 
This June 9th, A. D. 1873. 

JOHN BROWN, Register. 



HISTORY OF THE RICE 'AND RAMSEY GRANTS. 



The five thousand acre entiy, upon which a large 
portion of the cit^^ of Memphis is situated, was entered 
b}" John Rice, on the 23d day of October, 1783, in the 
Land Office, known to law3^ers as John Armstrong's 
Office, in Hillsboro, North Carolina. The time fixed by 
law for the reception of entries for "western lands," was 
the 20th day of October, 1783, and in three days thereaf- 
ter the locality' about the mouth of Wolf was deemed 
of such importance as to cause an investment of " ten 
pounds in specie for every hundred acres of land en- 
tered." A warrant duly issued, and the land, the entr^' 
" beginning about one mile below the mouth of Wolf 
river," was survej^ed the 1st da}- of December, 1786. 

The certificate of survey w^as returned and a grant 
regularl}^ issued, which was registered both at Hillsboro 
and at Raleigh, as required bj' law. The original grant, 
with plat and certificate of surve}', are in the possession 
of John M. Lea, of Nashville. John Rice, the enterer 
and grantee, was the owner of large bodies of land in 
Middle and West Tennessee. He must have been a 
verv enterprising, energetic man. He removed from 
North Carolina to Nashville soon after the entries of 
those lands, and engaged in the trade of merchandise. 
During one of his trading expeditions, whilst bringing 



14 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

goods- up the Cumberland river, he and his part}', at a 
point about where Clarksville is situated, were attacked 
by the Indians, and Rice and several others were unfor- 
tunately killed. This event happened in 1791, and is 
alluded to by Haywood, in his History of Tennessee. 
In 1794 Judge Overton bought, for the consideration of 
five hundred dollars,the Chickasaw Bluff tract from Elisha 
Rice, to whom (the said Elisha being his brother) the 
same was devised by said John. So particular was 
Judge Overton about the title, that, in consequence of 
the will (though in the handwriting of, and signed by 
John Rice) not being attested, he doubly and indis- 
putabty fortified the title by also taking a conveyance 
from all the four brothers (including Elisha, the devisee,) 
who would inherit as heirs in case of intestac3\ At 
that time, or prior to 1796, brothers inherited, to the 
exclusion of sisters. The next day after the purchase 
an undivided half interest in the land was conve^^ed ta 
General Andrew Jackson. 

I presume the purchase was made on joint account. 
They were bosom friends and partners m many land 
purchases. 

Man}^ men who have been successful in life are in- 
debted to what is called luck, but they all feel as if their 
good judgment ought to be entitled to the credit. Often- 
times riches grow, and sometimes, like greatness, are 
thrust upon a man. A fortunate speculation, as desper- 
ate and foolhardy in inception as fortunate in result^ 
achieves more in a day than the labor of a lifetime can 
accumulate. Very rare are the instances where plans 
are formed, steadily adhered to, and vigorously carried 
out, which are not expected to work out a great result 
in a less time than half a centuiy. A perfect confidence 
in one's own judgment (a very rare facult}^) and great 



THE RICE AND RAMSEY GRANTS. 15 

patience, are necessary for such undertakings. In 1794, 
the Indian title had not been extinguished to any land 
west of the Tennessee river, nor was there any prospect 
of an early removal of that claim. The northwest, 
except a small settlement at St. Louis, was unpeopled 
west of the Ohio. The southwest, this side of Georgia, 
was unsettled, except at Natchez, Mobile, and New 
Orleans. Extraordinary foresight must have been 
requisite to select the mouth of Wolf, as the site for a 
future city, in the face of all these discouragements. 
If the mind had been directed to the question, any 
judgment would have said that in the long lapse of time 
there was prospect of a town at that locality- but few, 
very few, would have looked so far ahead, and waited so 
patiently for the results. Remarkable sagacity was cer- 
tainly displayed in the purchase. Gen. Jackson, at 
various times, sold three-eights of his one-half interest, 
and, finally, the interest settled down as follows : Judge 
Overton, one-half; William Winchester, one-eighth; Gen- 
eral Jackson, one-eighth; and General James Winchester, 
legall}^ one-fourth — one-half of which he held as his own 
property, and the other half of which he held as trustee 
for a deceased brother. Settlements began to advance 
toward the west and south, and the people of Tennessee 
expressed a desire that the Indian title should be extin- 
guished to the lands between the Tennessee and Mis- 
sissippi rivers. The soil was claimed by the Chickasaws, 
but for some reason or other it was used rather as a 
hunting ground than as a place for settled habitations. 

During the Administration of Presdient Madison, 
Isaac Shelby and General Jackson were appointed to 
negotiate a treaty with several Indian tribes. On the 19th 
of October, 1818, the treaty was signed " at the treaty 
ground, east of Old Town," and hy its stipulations the 



16 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

Chickasaws surrendered all claim to lands lying north of 
the Tennessee boundar}-. Tennessee acquired jurisdic- 
tion, and the next year, 1819, a law was passed to lay off 
the lands into ranges, townships and sections, for the 
purpose of sale. The law directed that the surveyor 
should lay down on the map the boundary of every North 
Carolina grant, and he was required to mark, survey and 
reserve such from sale. The law further declared, that 
after the surve3'ing and marking, the State and the 
grantee should be estopped from disturbing the bounda- 
ries as laid down upon the new map. 

In the meantime the proprietors of the Chickasaw 
Bluff were not idle and inactive. In 1819, the year after 
the treaty, Front, Main, Second and Third streets were 
laid off from Bayou Gayoso to Union street. Judge 
Overton and General Winchester were at Memphis. 
General Jackson was in Florida, but Judge Overton held 
his power of attorne}^, authorizing him to do any and 
everything that he (Judge Overton) thought proper to do 
concerning the land. There was considerable trouble in 
laying down the Kice entry upon the map. The Missis- 
sippi river, as laid down upon the old plat, did not pre- 
sent the same outline that the stream showed in 1819 
and 1820. The only reason, I suppose, that these streets 
were not extended to the south line of the entr}^ was that 
the proprietors did not know exactly where the surve3^or 
would locate the south line. The river flowed at the base 
of the bluff, and there was then no batture. Wolf river 
flowed into the Mississippi at a point opposite to where 
the count}' jail now stands. The old plat represented 
Wolf as flowing into the Mississippi much lower down, 
and the land or bank of the Mississippi, north of "V^folf, as 
running away out to the worthwest, instead of ritnning 
nearlv north, as the bank indicated in 1819. The owners 



THE KICE AND RA»ISEY GRANTS. 17 

of the Eice Graut wished to get as far south as possible, 
and the owners of the Ramsey Grant were equally anx- 
ious to get north. The Surveyor-General was authorized 
to take the depositions of old settlers to determine the 
boundaries. The only one of which I have been able to 
find is that of Judge Benjamin Foy, of Arkansas, which 
is on file in the County Court of Stewart. I have heard 
that Padd}^ Maghar's deposition was also taken, but he 
came here too late to know much about it. Even the 
Judge appears to have been less definite than most of his 
family, with whom I have conversed, were. His nephew, 
Spillman F03', and others, have repeatedly told me that 
the mouth of Wolf, at the time alluded to, was opposite 
a pond on the bluff, knoWn afterward as Lake Walker, 
which was immediatel}^ below JefiTerson street, and that 
the river struck the bluff below Union street. Judae 
Lea is evidently mistaken in saying, as he does, that the 
Surve3'or-General was governed by the deposition of 
Judge Fo}^, for a correct surve}^ will show that the foot 
of Beal street is very little, if at all, over a mile from 
where the mouth of Wolf was in 1820, and not more than 
half the distance from the foot of Jefferson street, where 
it was in Fo3''s earl}- da3-s, and where it was when Rice 
stood, some eighteen 3'ears before, with his land grant in 
hand, and the word eureka, or the English of it, on his 
lips. It is not at all likely that a man of his undoubted 
shrewdness, unrestricted as he was, would have left out 
.the level and beautiful land below Beal street and taken 
in the ugly spurs at the mouth of Wolf, as proved to be 
fort3^ 3'ears later. 

If I was a preacher I might here find a theme to prove 
the instability of all sublunary matter. When John had 
determined in his mind to locate his grant here, which 
was no doubt without hesitation, and perhaps with a 



18 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

vivid imagination of its future grandeur and importancOy 
his first object was to fix on the most stable landmark as 
his processional point. He selected the mouth of Wolf 
river, which, instead of going down, like everything else^ 
had just gone up the Mississippi full half a mile, and 
lost to his successors the handsomest and most valuable 
part of the bluff. [For a more full account of this 
change in the river I refer the reader to my histor}', in 
another place, of the Memphis Batture.] 

There is another point I wish to make here. I pub- 
lished a communication addressed to the Board of Mayor 
and Aldermen, previous to my " Old Times Papers," in 
reference to the washing away of the batture, in which 
I said that the bluff" might prove no barrier to the inroads 
of the Mississippi, as large portions of it had fallen in 
at the washing away of the previous batture. This was 
denied, so far as that part of it above Union street wa& 
concerned. One old citizen, who has since died, made 
himself veiy offensive about it, and it has since been 
alluded to as an evidence of the unreliability of my 
information. I now find .that the original plat of the 
John Rice Grant shows that the bluff, from about Jeffer- 
son street up, ran in a northwestern direction, instead of 
nearly due north, as at present; and Judge Foy, in his 
deposition, says that such was the case when he first 
knew it, but that large portions of the bluff' at the north- 
ern end had caved oft', and therebj^ changed its line. 

Some singular features, or defects, appear in the Rice . 
Grant,which has since led to much litigation. No allusion 
is made to the Mississippi river except on the plat, and 
there simply by a single curved line of the pen,without the 
slightest regard to its true shape, while the western line 
of the Grant is in something like three parts of an octa- 
gon, leaving an apparent space between it and the river. 



THE RICE AND RAMSEY GRANTS. 19 

It may also appear strange that after John Rice had 
paid out G.\e hundred pounds in specie for the Grant, 
with other necessar^f expenses, that his brother, Elisha, 
sold it to Judge Overton for five hundred dollars, or 
about one-fifth of its original cost; but such was, never- 
theless, true. 

I will here state that the first of this, the history of the 
John Rice Grant up to its allusion to Judge Foy, is taken 
from the handwriting, literally, of Judge John M. Lea, 
one of the ablest lawyers in the countrj^, who, as the son- 
in-law and attorney of Judge Overton and his estate for 
some forty years, is undoubtedly the best informed man 
living in reference to the John Rice Grant, its assignees, 
and general history, and I have waived my opinions gen- 
erally where they difi'ered from his. He has been very 
kind in furnishing me a large amount of valuable informa- 
tion, enabling me to correct many important errors, and 
for which I feel under great obligations. 

In criticising the Grant and conveyance to Overton, I 
do so without the slightest design of questioning its fair- 
ness or legitimacy, if I were capable of doing so. Where 
discrepancies appear between the statements herein con- 
tained and those of the '• Old Times Papers," I wish, the 
errors charged to the latter. Among others, I have done 
the original proprietors some injustice. In one instance 
I alluded to the fact that they had made liberal donations 
of lots to old settlers for the purpose of appeasing them 
for having been disturbed in what they considered occu- 
pant or pre-emption rights. 

Judge Lea seems hurt at this, and sa3's: "These 
donations were acts of pure kindness." I am now satis- 
fied that such was the case, but the error, nevertheless, 
existed, and whether the donations were or not intended 
to appease, it had that effect, and was none the less an act 



20 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

of kindness. But the most common error was the laying 
on, or locating of the Grant which was supposed to have 
taken place after the treaty commonl}' known as the 
" Jackson Purchase " of 1818, by which the Indian titles 
were extinguished. This idea was certainly a very 
natural one. The John Ramsey Grant was not located 
until 1822, and even then the southern line of the Rice 
Grant was undetermined. This error or misunderstand- 
ing led to to the laying of the warrant by McAlpin and 
others, which succeeded so far as securing a compromise, 
though I think very unjustly; but even as late as 1846 
R. K. Turnage and others contended that there 
was still a space between the McAlpin and Rice lines, 
based upon the supposed original surve}" of the Rice 
Grant in 1819 or 1820. By this time it seems to have 
been discovered that the angling lines were intended for 
the bluff, and the wriggling of the pen was simpl}^ an 
addition of some copj- ing clerk. So it was the Turnage 
speculation failed. There was a feature in this trial 
which goes to show how unreliable some old folks' mem- 
ories prove to be at times. Turnage's main witness swore 
that w^hen the processional survey was made Judge 
Overton told the Surveyor-General to place the jiue well 
back, that he wanted a large space in front, and that 
some of the bluff might fall in. Now the Records show 
that the procession was made on the 28th day of July, 
1820, while the Records of Knox count}* show that 
Judge John Overton was, on that self same day, 
married in the town of Knoxville. Judge Lea, in his 
extreme liberalitj', thinks this old man did not design to 
commit perjuiy, though I take it as a gi eater proof of 
good heart than good judgment. It, however, amounted 
to nothing, and the court informed Judge Lea that 
he might admit not only this witness, but ever^'thing 



THE RICP: and RAMSEY GRANTS. 21 

else that Turnfige proposed to prove, witliout endanger- 
ing his case. This Turnage scheme is alluded to in my 
history of the Memphis Batture. 

There are other features in the Eamsey Grant that 
may appear strange. No consideration is shown for its 
issuance, and appears never to have been spread on the 
Records of Shelby county until within the past year. 

Its genuineness, however, never seems to have been 
called into question, though I canrot resist the idea that 
North Carolina was rather loose and reckless in the dis- 
position of her western possessions; her title to which 
was based on the most flimsey of pretexts. 

I have a large amount ot documents bearing on this 
subject; also important discussions of the Supreme Court 
in reference to the titles, etc. Also, the agreement 
in relation to the matter of arbitration, involving the 
right of the city to the alluvial lands on the margin of 
the Misssissippi river, to erect wharfs, collect wharfage, 
etc., about which there is much history. Governor 
Ousley, of Kentucky, was called upon to select the 
arbitrators, and selected the Hon's Wm. B. Turley, 
Wm. B. Reese and Nathan Green, Judges of the 
Supreme Court of the State of Tennessee, to determine 
the matter, and were their opinions and awards less 
lengthy I would publish them. 

The following record, however, never before having 
been in print, settling finally the respective interests 
of the original proprietors and confirming the state- 
ments of Judge Lea, are, I think, of suflScient importance 
to merit an insertion here : 

"At a Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, begun and 
held for the count}- of Shelby, State of Tennessee, at the 
courthouse, in the town of Raleigh, on the third Monda}^, 
being the 20th day of April, 1829 — Present: James 



22 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

Warren, James Ralston, S. Henderson, F. M. Weather- 
head, Thomas Powers and John Ralston, gent. Justices — 
the following entry appears of record upon the 
Minutes of said court, to-wit : 'A majority of the acting- 
Justices being present, William Lawrence presented to 
the court the following petition, viz: 

* To the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, for the County of 
Shelby, in the State of Tennessee, sitting at their April Session, 
1829 : 

' We, the undersigned, respectfull}' represent to your 
Worships that we hold different undivided interests in 
sundry unsold lots in the town of Memphis, and in a 
tract of twelve hundred acres. We pray the court to 
appoint the lawful number of Commissioners to divide 
the said town lots, and the said land, between us agree- 
ably to a plat of the same that will be exhibited to the 
Commissioners by our agents, according to law — our 
respective interests in said property being as follows, 
viz: John Overton owns one-half; John C. McLemore 
owns one-eighth; the heirs of General James Winches- 
ter own one-fourth, and the devisees of Wm. Winchester, 
of Baltimore, ovrn one-eighth; and your petitioners, as in 
dut}^ bound, wall ever pray, etc. April 20th, 1829. 
(Signed), JOHN OVERTON, 

JOPIN C. McLEMORE, 
By their Attorney in fact, Wm. Lawrence. 

GEORGE WINCHESTER, 
WILLIAM WINCHESTER, 
By their Attorney in fact, M. B. Winchester,' 

Whereupon, it appearing to the satisfaction of the 
court that the requisitions of the law have been com- 
plied with b}^ the said petitioners, by giving notice to 
the other parties concerned, b}* publication in the 
Memphis Advocate, it is ordered by the court that 



THE RICE AND llAMSEV GRANTS. 23 

Anderson B. Carr, Nathaniel Anderson, John Ralston, 
David Dunn, Tilman Bettis, Jas. H. Lawrence, and 
William Lawrence, them, or any five of them be, and 
are appointed Commissioners, to examine, divide and set 
apart to the parties petitioning their several parts or 
portions in severalt}^ of said town lots and land, agree- 
ably to the pra^'er of the petition, and make the report 
thereof to our next court. 

And at a subsequent term of said court, to'wit: At a 
Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, begun and held 
for the count}^ of Shelb}', at the courthouse, in the town 
of Raleigh, on Monday, the 20th day of July, 1829— 
Present: the AYorshipful John Ralston, James Ralston, 
Francis M. Weatherhead and James Warren, Esquires, 
Justices of the Court — the following entrj^ appears of 
record upon the Minutes of said court, to- wit: 

• The Commissioners appomted by a former order of 
this court, to divide and set apart, in severalt}^ to John 
Overton and others, their parts and portions of th*e 
unsold lots in the town of Memphis, and the tract of 
land adjoining thereto, returned to court their report in 
the words and figures following, to-wit : 

' We, the undersigned. Commissioners appointed by an 
order of the Count}' Court of Shelby county, in tlie 
State of Tennessee, made at their April sessions 1829, 
to divide and set apart, in severalty, to John Overton 
and others, their respective shares or portions of all 
unsold lots in the town of Memphis, and also their 
shaves and portions of a tract of land l3'ing north, 
east and south of said town, usuall}' called and known 
as the town reserve, do report and sa^*-, (being first 
sworn as the law directs,) that we proceeded to make a 
particular examination of the various unsold lots, frac- 
tions and country lots, agreeably to the plan of the same 



24 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

furnished to us by M. B. Winchester and William Law- 
rence, agents for the said John Overton and others,, 
proprietors of Memphis, and after said examination 
parcelled the said lots, etc., into eight divisions, as 
equal in value as we could make them. And it being 
shown to us that the said John Overton, was entitled to 
one half of the unsold lots, etc., or in ether words to 
four of the said eight divisions; that John C. McLemore, 
is entitled to one of said eight divisions ; that William 
Winchester and George Winchester, together, as the 
devisees of William Winchester, deceased, are entitled 
also to one of said eight divisions, and that the remain- 
ino^ two divisions belono- to the estate of the late General 
James Winchester, we proceeded to ascertain b}' 
balloting, which one of said eight divisions should 
constitute the share or portion of the said John C. 
McLemore, when division No. 2 was drawn in his name, 
whereupon we assigned and alloted to the said McLe- 
more, said division No. 2, which is made up and com- 
posed of these town lots, fractions and country lots, viz: 
[Here follows a list of the lots, descriptions, bounds, 
plat of the town, etc., covering some twenty' five pages- 
of legal cap paper.] 

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands 
as commissioners, as aforesaid. 

TILMAN BETTIS, 
JOHN RALSTON, 
WM. LAWRENCE, 
A. B. CARR, 
J. H. LAWRENCE, 
Commissioners.' 
Whereupon, it is ordered, adjudged and decreed by the 
court here, that the said John C. McLemore, the said 
William and George Winchester, and the said John 



THE RICE AND RAMSEY GRANTS. 25 

Overton, do have and hold, in severalty, the shares, parts 
and portions assigned to them, respectively, by the fore- 
going report of division. And that the heirs of the 
late General James Winchester, also have and hold in 
severalty the divisions or shares left for them, and speci- 
fied in said report. 

And it is further ordered, that, imasmuch as the plan 
accompanying said report is on too large a scale to be 
copied on the pages of the Record Book of this court, 
said plan shall be posted firmly to, and on the 437th 
page of this, the said Record Book, and be a part of 
said report." 

State of Tennessee, ) 
Shelby County. [ 

I, John P. Trezevant, Clerk of the County Court of 
said county, do certify the foregoing twenty-nine pages 
to be a full^ true and perfect transcript, from the Min- 
utes of the Court of Pleas and Quarterly Sessions of 
said-county, of the petition of John Overton, and others, 
for the division of real estate therein mentioned. 

Witness my hand at ofl3ce, the 22d day of March, A.D. 
1858. 

JOHN P. TREZEVANT, Clerk. 



DESCRIPTION OF MEMPHIS IN 1820. 



We fiud iu the Portfolio, publir^lied in Philadelphia 
in 1820, the following communication, the authorship of 
which was at the time attributed to General Jaclvsou. 
In relation lo the laying out of Memphis, the writer says : 

" A town of the above name has been laid off on the 
east bank of the Mississippi river, at the lower Chicka- 
saw Bluffs, in the county of Shelb}', State of Tennessee. 
It is also within the Western District, latel}^ acquired by 
treaty from the Chickasaw Indians. 

" The plan and local situation of Memphis is such as 
to authorize the expectation that it is destined to become 
a populous city. It is laid off parallel with the Missis - 
sippi, the course of which at this place is nearly due 
south, with Wolf river emptying into it at the northern 
extremit}' of the town. Three hundred and sixty-two 
lots are designated upon its present plat; and there is 
any quantit}' of elevated level land adjoining, suited to 
the purpose of enlarging it at pleasure. The streets run 
to the cardinal points. The}^ are wide and spacious, and, 
together with a number of alleys, afford a free and abund- 
ant circulation of air. There is, besides, four public 
squares, in different parts of the town, and between the 
front lots and the river an ample vacant place reserved 
as a promenade; all of which must contribute very much 



28 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

to the health and comfort of the place, as well as to its 
security and ornament. 

" The bluff on which Memphis is situated is remarka- 
bly high and level, as it is a large tract of country which 
extends for many miles at right angles from the Missis- 
sippi. Being from twenty to thirt}^ feet above the high- 
est flood, it is always dry, and commands a complete 
view of the river, which, at this place, is rather more 
than three-quarters of a mile wide. The scenery from 
the town is quite picturesque and delightful, presenting 
a rich and extensive plain in the rear, with improvements 
skirting the opposite shore, as well as a vast expanse of 
water, chequered by islands whidh are covered b}^ the 
heaviest and tallest timber. In casting the eye up the 
river, a w^ter view is obtained for several miles, inter- 
rupted and varied by a cluster of islands about three- 
quarters of a mile distant, commonly known by the name 
of Paddy's Hen and Chickens, through which the Mis- 
sissippi is seen discharging its immense column of water 
in two or three different channels. Upoc directing the 
attention down the river the eye enjoys an equally exten- 
sive range, where is presented, within the space of three 
miles. President's Island, which contains several 
thousand acres of land, a considerable portion of which 
is very fertile, and entirely free from inundation. In 
addition to this, the frequent passage of steamboats and 
crafts of every description, up and down the Mississippi, 
give a grandeur even to the prospect, and an active and 
commercial appearance to the place, which is only one 
remove from a position on the sea-board. 

" This is the only site for a town of any magnitude on 
the Mississippi, between the mouth of the Ohio and 
Natchez. The western bank is uniformly too low and 
subject to inundation, and the eastern affords no other 



DESCRIPTION OF MEMl'HIS IX 1820. 29 

situation sufficiently high, dry, level and extensive, 
together with a rich surrounding country, competent to 
support it. Neither can an eligible position be selected, 
for this purpose, on an}^ of the rivers which empty them- 
selves into the Mississippi, between the Tennessee river 
and the Bluff, in consequence of their being greatly 
incommoded by swamps as high as the}^ are navigable. 
It is consequently the onlv desirable site, and is consid- 
ered by many superior to any upon the Mississippi river. 
Natchez cannot vie with it, and it even excels Baton 
Kouge, inasmuch as the banks are higher and more uni- 
formly level and commanding, the surrounding prospects 
more beautiful and interesting, and, from its situation, 
necessarily more healthy. Thus, by nature, it is so situ- 
ated that mnch competition cannot arise by the erection 
of other towns between the mouth of the Ohio and 
Natchez. 

" The general advantages of Memphis are owing to its 
being founded on the Mississippi, one of the largest and 
most important rivers on the globe, and the high road 
for all the commerce of the vast and fertile valley through 
which it flows. This noble river, which may with pro- 
priety- be denominated the Asierican Nile, is about two 
thousand five, hundred and eighty miles from its head to 
its mouth, and, with its branches, waters two-thirds of 
the territory of the United States. 

" Memphis lies thirt3'-five degrees six minutes of north 
latitude, and thirteen degrees west longitude from Wash- 
ington. The adjacent and surrounding countr}-, which 
is to be relied on to support it, is one of the most exten- 
sive and beautiful bodies of land, contiguous to the Mis- 
sissippi river, between the mouth of the Ohio and New 
Orleans. It is elevated, dry and level, possessing a fer- 
tile and productive soil, and extending east northeast. 



30 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

south and southeast, for nearly one hundred miles. 

" No tract of country can be better accommodated to 
the principal staples of the western world. Corn, cotton, 
wheat and tobacco may be cultivated to great adA^antage. 
It is also well adapted to the growth of blue and herd 
grass, clover, etc., and must consequently be happilj^ 
suited to the rearing of stock. 

"The climate is certainl^^ a desirable one, in conse- 
quence of its uniformity and being free from those ex- 
tremes of heat and cold to which the country, either 
father north or south, is generally subjected. Such a 
climate must be veiy congenial to the constitution, and 
to the vigorous maturity of most of the vegetable pro- 
ductions of the temperate regions. From the locality of 
Memphis, the largest portion of the produce hereafter to 
be raised for market, in the extreme tract of countr}^ 
lying between the Tennessee river and Bluff, must 
necessarih^ be concentrated at that point for exportation, 
as the rivers by which it is watered are not uniforml}^ 
navigable. 

"The superiority of the Bluff on which Memphis 
stands over the few situations of high ground on the 
Mississippi river, is evinced by its having been first 
selected b}^ the French, as earty as the year 1736, as a 
suitable position for a garrison. Whilst Louisiana was 
in the possession of Spain, this Bluff v/as again 
chosen as a health}^ and commanding site for a similar 
establishment. A fort and garrison had been built and 
occupied, and the adjacent land cleared and cultivated 
for man}' years anterior to their being surrendered to the 
United States, agreeabl}^ to the treaty of St. lldefonso." 



MEMPHIS RAILROADS IN EARLY DAYS. 



The first Railraad terminating at this point was the 
Memphis and LaGrange, commenced in 1838. She onl}^ 
succeeded in laying six miles of track with bar iron, and 
"putting a locomotive and some old fashioned English 
cars on, done a sort of pleasure business for several 
months. Some ten years later the Memphis and Charles- 
ton Railroad purchased the charter, etc., and the latter 
road was built to LaGrange on the line staked out for the 
former. Mention is made of this road in my story of the 
Memphis Batture. 

The following communication appears in the Railroad 
Record (Cincinnati) of 1854, which contains foresight 
and suggestions which have by no means lost their force, 
and are therefore deemed worthj' of reproduction : 

" Memphis. — We begin with Memphis, because it is 
the most promising town in the southwest. Memphis 
lies on one of onl}^ three blutfs on the Lower Mississippi, 
where it is possible, without unnecessaiy expense for 
artificial work, to build a great town. It is almost 280 
miles from the mouth of the Ohio, and 730 miles, by 
water, from Cincinnati. It is, however, only 130 miles 
on an air line, and a railroad to Louisville and Cincinnati 
will reduce the distance run to less than 500 miles, and 
the time to twent^^ hours. From Memphis, also, a rail- 
road is partially completed, and doubtless will be finished, 
to Charleston, S. C, connecting it with the Central South. 
Memphis being also precisely east of Little Rock, it may 
be, and will be, connected with it bj' a line of railroad, 
which shall brine: within its commercial influence the 



32 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

great valleys of White river and the Arkansas. Thus it 
has great commercial advantages, and its admirable 
situation on a beautiful and healthy bluff secures them. 
"We visited it in 1850, and were struck with the supe- 
riority of its position over any other place in the south- 
west. It is destined, in our opinion, to be the largest 
city in the southwest, not excepting New Orleans. Mem- 
phis will probabl}^ contain more than 25,000 people at the 
census of 1856. Its high position has secured its health 
so far that neither cholera nor yellow fever have visited 
it in the several forms in which they have prevailed in 
almost all the southern cities. This immunity is likely 
to continue, for it lies on both high and dry ground, and 
has purer and better air than any other place in that 
region. Nearl}^ one-fourth the population of Memphis 
are slaves, and the country back of it is a cotton planting 
section. Hence, Memphis, as the port of that region, 
will be chiefly a commercial town. But if it would grow 
to be a really large place, it must seek to manufacture, 
and this it ma}^ By railroads through Tennessee and 
Kentuck}" it may be supplied with coal and iron, and 
there iron factories, and steam machinery, and cotton 
mills may be readil}^ carried on. If Memphis would be 
great she must make railways and build factories." 

DISTINGUISHED RAILROAD MEN. 

Among the most energetic railroad men of both the 
past and present, I might name Major General Edmund 
Pendleton Gaines, Ex-Governor James C. lones, Colonel 
Nat. Anderson, Colonel Sam Tate, Judge J. T. Swayne, 
Colonel John T. Trezevant, E. H. Porter, F. M. White, 
E. C. Brinkley, P. Topp, W. B. Greenlaw, W. B. Waldran, 
A. L. Mitchell, N. B. Forrest, W. J. Sykes, Amos Wood- 
ruff, M. J. Wicks, David C. Cross and John Donovan. 



LIST OF MAYORS AND ALDERMEN. 



[ In order to do justice to all, we have deemed it best 
to extend the list of Ma^'ors and Aldermen down to the 
present date.] 

1st Corporate Year---March, 1827, to March, 1828.— 
Mayor : M. B. Winchester. Aldermen : Joseph L. Davis, 
John Hook, N. B. Attwood, Geo. F. Graham, (died), 
John R. Doughertj^ (died), Wm. A. Hard}^ Nathaniel 
Anderson, and Littleton Henderson. 

2d Corporate Year— March, 1828, to March, 1829.— 
Mayor: M. B. Winchester. Aldermen: Samuel Doug- 
lass, Wm. A. Hardy, John D. Graham, Augustus L. 
Humphrey, Joseph L. Davis, and Robert Fearn. 

3d Corporate Year— March, 1829, to March, 1830.— 
Mayor: Isaac Rawlings. Aldermen: M. B. Winchester, 
(resigned), A. L. Humphrey, J. L. Davis, J. F. Schabell, 
James L. Vaughn, J. D. Graham, and Wyatt Christian. 

4th Corporate Year— March, 1830, to March, 1831.— 
Mayor: Isaac Rawlings. Aldermen: John Kitchell, A. 
L. Humphrey, D. King, E. Young, (resigned), J. L. Da- 
vis, (resigned), H. W. Mosely, (resigned), John Cole- 
man, David W. Wood, Geo. Aldred,and J. F. Schabell. 

5th Corporate Year— March, 1831, to March, 1832.— 
Mayor: Seth Wheatle3\ Aldermen: Geo. Aldred, Mar- 



34 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

tin Swope, Ulysses Spalding, A. L. Humphrey, L. Hen- 
derson, and Thos. Phoebus. 

6th Corporate Year— March, 1832, to March, 1833.— 
Mayor: Kobert Lawrence. Aldermen: John Kitchell, 
E. Coffee, C. C. Locke, Jas. B. Walker, L. Henderson, and 
J. A. H. Cleveland. 

7th Corporate Year— March, 1833, to March, 1834— 
Mayor: Isaac Eawlings. Aldermen: Littleton Hender- 
son, John F. Schabell, Samuel Runkle, (died), Hezekiah 
Cobb, John W. Fowler, Elijah Coffee, and Joseph Cooper. 

8th Corporate Year — March, 1834, to March, 1835. — 
Mayor : Isaac Eawlings. Aldermen : Jedediah Prescott, 
H. Cobb, M. B. Winchester, John W. Fowler, Littleton 
Henderson, and John F. Schabell. 

9th Corporate Year— March, 1835, to March, 1836. — 
Mayor: Isaac Eawlings. .Aldermen: John F. Schabell, 
(died), James Eose, Joseph Cooper, H. Cobb, Silas T. 
Toncray, Steth M. Nelson, and Hugh Wheatley. 

10th Corporate Year— March, 1836, to March, 1837.— 
Mayor: Enoch Banks. Aldermen: Silas T. Toncray, 
Hannibal Harris, (resigned), Seth Wheatle}^, (resigned), 
M. B. Winchester, Hugh Wheatley, James Eose, (re- 
signed), John Hare, S. M. Nelson, and E. G. Hart, Jos. 
Cooper, (resigned.) 

11th Corporate Year— March, 1837, to March, 1838.— 
Mayor: John H. Morgan. Aldermen: Frank McMahan, 
S. T. Toncra}^, (resigned), A. H. Bowman, L. C. Treze- 
vant, Charles Stuart, Zachariah Edmunds, (resigned), 
Joseph Cooper, (resigned), Barnett Graham, H. Cobb, 
and Jas. D. Currin. 



LIST OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN. 35 

12th Corporate Year— March, 1838, to March, 1839.— 
Mayor: Enoch Banks. Aldermen: Jedediah Prescott, 
James D. Currin, Lewis C. Trezevant, Lewis Shanks, A. 
H. Bowman (resigned), Edwin Hickman and Gray Skip- 
with. 

13th Corporate Year— March, 1839, to March, 1840.— 
Ma3'or: Thomas Dixon. Aldermen: Jedediah Prescott, 
Joseph Wright, Samuel Hayter, E. Hickman, C. Stewart, 
(resigned), C. B. Murray, and William Spiekernagle. 

14th Corporate Year— March, 1840, to March, 1841.— 
Mayor: Thomas Dixon. Aldermen: Michael Leonard, 
Joseph Wright, C. B. Murray, (died), Jacob M. Moon, 
T. C. McMakin, (resigned), E. Hickman, L. C. Treze- 
vant, andW. B. Garrison. 

15th Corporate Year — March, 1841, to March, 1842. 

Mayor: William Spiekernagle. Aldermen: Joseph 
Wright, (resigned), Michael Leonard, (resigned), L. C. 
Trezevant, (resigned), J. N. Moon, Charles Stewart, F. 
P. Stanton, J. Prescott, H. Cobb and John Trigg. 

16th Corporate Year— March, 1842, to March, 1843.— 
Mayor: Edwin Hickman. Aldermen: C. C. Mahau, (re- 
signed), y. Furguson, (died), C. Bias, C. Lofland, (re- 
signed), E. H. Porter, Wm. Chase, A. Walker, (resigned), 
J. C. Davenport, (resigned), M. Gabbert, (resigned), W. 
B. Waldran, H. Cobb, L. Shanks, W. A. Bickford, (resign- 
ed), W. Test, J. Prescott, John Woods, and Eugene Ma- 
gevene}'. 

17th Corporate Year— March, 1843, to March, 1844.— 
Mayor: Edwin Hickman. Aldermen: J. Prescott, H.. 
Cobb, William Spiekernagle, C. Bias, (resigned) Wm. 
Chase, E. H. Porter, John Woods, (resigned), E. Magev- 



36 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

eney, W. B. Waldran, Calvin Goodman, (resigned), L. 
Shanks, Thomas Whitelaw, and L. R. Richards. 

18th Corporate Year — March, 1844, to March, 1845. — 
Mayor: Edwin Hickman. Aldermen: Wm. Spickerna- 
gle, J. D. Allen, Lewis Shanks, (resigned), Jos. Wright, 
Wm. Connell, Charles A. Leath, (resigned), E. Mageve- 
ney, (resigned), J. B. Outlaw, (resigned), J. T. N, 
Bridges, (resigned), M. B. Sappington, Wm. F. Allen, 
(resigned), John A. Allen, (resigned), Calvin Goodman, 
(resigned), W. B. Waldran, Dr. Jeptha Fowlkes, John 
Trigg, (resigned), David Looney, and L. Shanks. 

19th Corporate Year — March, 1845, to March, 1846. — 
Mayor: J. J. Finle3^ Aldermen: Jos. D. Allen, William 
Goodman, (resigned), Jos. Wright, Daniel Hughes, Jep- 
tha Fowlkes, Wm. Chase, David Loone}^, J. R. Maltbie, 
E. F. Watkins, (resigned,) Calvin Goodman, Gardner 
B. Locke, D. S. Greer, (resigned), E. M. Apperson, Lewis 
Shanks, Miles Owen, and J. Delafield. 

20th Corporate Year— March^ 1846, to March, 1847.— 
Mayor: Edwin Hickman. Aldermen: Joseph D. Allen, 
Michael Leonard, Jeptha Fowlkes, Daniel Hughes, D. O. 
Dooley, (resigned), E. H. Porter, (resigned), E. Mageve- 
ney, Wm. Carter, Wiley B. Miller, Samuel Mosby, (re- 
signed,) E. Banks, A. O. Harris, and V. D. Barry. 

21st Corporate Year— March, 1847, to March, 1848.— 
Mayor: Enoch Banks. Aldermen: Jos. D. Allen, J. W. 
A. Pettit, J. Fowlkes, Daniel Hughes, Wm. Connell, V. 
D. Barry, S. A. Norton, Joseph I. Andrews, Samuel 
Mosby, and W. B. Miller. 

22d Corporate Year— March, 1848, to March, 1849.— 



LIST OF BIAYORS AND ALDERMEN. 37 

Mayor: Gardner B. Locke. Aldermen: Benj. Wright, 
J. W. A. Pettit, Jeptha Fowlkes, Daniel Hughes, James 
Wright, V. D. Barry, R. L. Kay, E. Mageveney, J. M. 
Patrick, and S. B. Williamson. 

23d Corporate Year— March, 1849, to July, 1850.— 
Mayor: E. Hickman. Aldermen: H. Cobb, T. James, L. 
Shanks, J. Weller, E. H. Porter, H. B. Joyner, V. Rhodes, 
E. McDavitt, R. A. Parker, (resigned), H. G. Smith, D. 
Loone}^ A. O. Harris, (resigned), N. B. Holt, S. W. Jef- 
ferson, A. B. Taylor, (resigned), G. W. Murphy, (re- 
signed), W. Carr, J. L. Webb, and W. L. Guion. 

24th Corporate Year— July, 1850, to July, 1851.— 
Mayor : E. Hickman. Aldermen : Thomas Conwaj^ John 
Kehoe, E. McDavitt, E. H. Porter, S. W. Jefferson, A. D. 
Henkle, S. P. Walker, D. Looney, A. B. Shaw, J. Wal- 
clran, G. W. Smith, and A. B. Taylor. 

25th Corporate Year— July, 1851, to July, 1852. — 
Maj^or: E. Hickman. Aldermen: F. Titus, T.Conway, 
E. H. Porter, E. McDavitt, (resigned), S. W. Jefferson, 
A. D. Henkle, David Looney (resigned), S. P.Walker, J. 
M. Patrick (resigned), A. B. Shaw, Wm. Ruffin, G. W. 
^mith, W. S. Cockrell. (resigned), A. Woodruff, and J. 
D. Danbury. 

26th Corporate Year— July, 1852, to July, 1853.— 
"Mayor: A. B. Taylor. Aldermen: J. Kehoe, B. Wright, 
A. Woodruff, R. W. Thompson, A. D. Henkle, M. Eagan, 
S. P. Walker, (resigned), J. D. Danbury, A. B. Shaw, 
(resigned), T. W. Hunt, A. N. Edmonds, M. Jones, A. 
P. Merrill, F. Lane, (resigned), J. M. Patrick and A. 
G. Underwood. 

I 27th Corporate Year— July, 1853, to July, 1854.— 



38; HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

Mayor: A. B. Ta3'lor. Aldermen: Thos. Conway, Di\ 
L. Shanks, E. McDavitt, (resigned), W. M. Maddox, E. 
Mageveney, S. W. Jefferson, (resigned), S. P. Walker, 
A. Whipple, T. W. Hunt, J. M. Patrick, Marcus Jones^ 
John Wiley, R. W. Thompson, (resigned), John Park, 
(resigned), and Charles Jones. 

28th Corporate Year— July, 1854, to July 1855.— 
Mayor: A. B. Ta3^1or, Aldermen: John L. SafFarrans^, 
Dan'l Hughes, S. B. Curtis, John Neal, A. Street, (re- 
signed), A. M. Hopkins, A. A. Smithwick, (resigned),. 
J. L. Morgan, (resigned), J. M. Patrick, Jas. Jenkins, 
W. E. Milton, A. H. Douglass, A. Woodruff, W. Houston 
and J. D. Danbury. 

29th Corporate Year — Jul}^, 1855, to July, 1856. — 
Mayor: A. H. Douglass. Aldermen: Jno. L. Saffarans, 
Dan'l Hughes, S. B. Curtis, Jno. Neal, A. Woodruff, Jas. 
Elder, W. R. Chandler, J. D. Danbur}^, James Jenkins, 
Jno. L. Morgan, (resigned), W. E. Milton, F. M. Cope- 
land and A. B. Shaw. 

30th Corporate Year— July, 1856, to July, 1857.— 
Mayor: T. B. Carroll. Aldermen: John L. Saffarrans, 
Dan'l Hughes, S. B. Curtis, L. J. Dupre, W. F. Barry, 
James Elder, C. M. Fackler, T. J. Finnic, Jno. Smoot, 
(resigned), A. B. Shaw, D. Bogart, F. M. Copeland, A. 
H. Douglass, (resigned), and R. Wormelej^ 

31st Corporate Year— July, 1857, to July, 1858.— 
Mayor: R. D. Baugh. Aldermen: Dan'l Hughes, J. S. 
Irwin, A. Street, W. O. Lofland, A. Woodruff, R. S. Jones, 
Thos. J. Finnic, I. M. Hill, F. M, E. Falkner, T. A. 
Hamilton, John Martin and F. M. Copeland. 

32d Corporate Year— July, 1858, to July, 1859 



LIST OF MAYORS AND ALDERMEN. 39 

Ma3^or: R. D. Baugh, Aldermen: J. 0. Drew, Daniel 
Hughes, A. Street, R. H. Norris, (resigned), Chas. Kor- 
trecht, N. B. Forrest, Jas. Elder, T. J. Finnic, T. A. 
Hamilton, A. H. Douglass, G. P. Foute, D. H. Townsend, 
Jno. B. Robinson, F. M. Copeland, Jno. Neal, S. W. Jef- 
ferson and S. T. Morgan. 

33d Corporate Year— Julj^ 1859, to July, I860.— 
Mayor: R. D. Baugli. Aldermen: Jno. 0. Drew, Sam'I 
Tighe, A. Street, (resigned), N. B. Forrest, James Elder, 
C. Potter, T. A. Hamilton, A. H. Douglass, W. E. Milton, 
(resigned), Marcus Jones, J. N. Barnett, Wm. Farris, J. 

C. Griffing, W. M. Perkins, D. H. Townsend, S. T. Mor- 
gan, W. O. Lofland, and C. Kortrecht. 

34th Corporate Year — July, 1860, to July, 1861. — 
Mayor: R. D. Baugh. Aldermen: Dan'l Hughes, P. T. 
O'Mahoney, S. T. Morgan, R. S. Joyner, J. J. Worsham, 
(resigned), N. B. Forrest, J. M. Crews, A. P. Merrill, 

D. B. Malloy, R. M. Kirby, John Martin, C. W. Frasier, 
J. B. Robinson, D. H. Feger, H. Volentine, W. C. Ander- 
son and W. S. Pickett. 

35th Corporate Year— July, 1861, to July, 1862.— 
Mayor: John Park. Aldermen: Samuel Tighe, G. M. 
Grant, M. E. Cochran, S. T. Morgan, L. Amis, jr., C. 
Kortrecht, A. P. Merrill, L. J. Dupre, (resigned), J. O. 
Greenlaw, R. M. Kirby, D. H. Townsend, C. M. Farmer, 
John B. Robinson, J. M. Patrick, H. Volentine, F. M. 
Gaylor and T. S. Ayres. 

36th Corporote Year— July, 1862, to July, 1863.— 
Mayor: John Park. Aldermen: S. Tighe, J. C. Powers, 
(resigned), Paul Schuster, (resigned), G. D. Johnson, 
L. Wunderman, B. F. C. Brooks, H. B. Henghold, M. 



40 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

Mulholland, Wm. Harvey, Jas. Hall, S. Ogden, John 
Gager, (resigned), B. Fenton, (resigned), S. T. Morgan, 
M. McEncroe, A. P. Merrill, (resigned), C. M. Farmer, 
J. O. Drew, H. T. Hulbert, S. A. Moore and C. Deloach. 

37th Corporate Year— July, 1863, to July, 1864.— 
Mayor: John Park. Aldermen: J. Donovan, J. Glancy, 
G. D. Johnson, S. T. Morgan, L. Amis, L. Wunderman, 
A. P. Merrill, C. A. Stillman, M. Mulholland, W. W. 
Jones, G. W. Harver, M. McEncroe, (died), M. Kelly, W. 
P. Evans, H. T. Hulbert and H. Volentine. 

38th Corporate Year— July, 1864, to July, 1865.— 
Mayors: Lieut. Colonel Thomas H. Harris and Captain 
C. Richards — the former from July to November, the 
latter the remainder of the term. ( * ) Aldermen : J. P. 
Foster, (appointed Chief of Police), A. Renkert, G. D. 
Johnson, S. T. Morgan, B. F. C. Brooks, A. J. Miller, 
(died), I. M. Hill, J. G. Owen, W. S. Bruce, (resigned,) 
W. W. Jones, J. E. Merriman, C. C. Smith, G. P. Ware, 
Jos. Tagg, Patrick Sherry, H. T. Hulbert, J. B.Wetherill, 
H. G. Smith, (resigned), W. R. Moore and W. M. Far- 
rington. 

39th Corporate Year- July, 1865, to July, 1866.— 
Mayor: John Park. Aldermen: John Glancy, E. V. 
G'Mahone}^, S. T. Morgan, J. H. Reany, (died), Louis 
Wunderman, Thomas Leonard, I. M. Hill, A. P. Burdett, 
(resigned), A. Hitzfield,(resigned), M.Burke, R. K. Beck • 
tell, (died), Wm. M. Harve}^ John S. Toof, M. Kelly, 
J. F. Green, G. D. Johnson, D. R. Grace, .Thomas 
O'Donnell, S. P. Walker and R. W. Creighton. 

(*) See after page in relation to Martial Law. 



LIST OF MAYORS AND ALDERilEX. 41 

40th Corporate Year— July, 1866, to January, 1S68.{*) 
Mayor: Wm. 0. Lofland. Aldermen: J. J. Powers, Jno. 
Glancy, G. D. Johnson, M. E. Cochran, E. W. Wicker- 
sham, L. Amis, Pt. P. Boiling, H. J. Lynn, T. W. O'Don- 
nell, J. C. Hoist, A. T. Shaw, D. H. Townsend, H. Lemon, 
T. O. Smith, W. H. Passmore and H. T. Hulbert. 

42d Corporate Year, 1869. — Mayor: John W. Leftwich. 
Aldermen : Thos. Foley, E. Marshall, Jas. 0. Durff, L. 
E. Dyer, Thos. W. O'Donnell, James Gallager, S. Ogden, 
L. M. Wolcott, L. D. Vincent, and J. E. Williams. 

43d Corporate Year, 1870. — Ma3'or: John Johnson. — 
Aldermen : Owen Dwyer, Phil. J. Mallon, J. 0. Durff, L 
T. Cartwright, J. C. Hoist, Thos. B. Norment, A. J. 
Roach, Thos. Moffatt, J. P. Prescott, and James Rounds. 
Councilmen : John Glancej^, Patrick J. Kell}^, William 
Chase, J. M. Graves, 0. F. Prescott, Jas. Birmington, R. 
P. Duncan, M. Pepper, Owen Smith, M. Cohen, R. A. 
Parker, H. M. James, J. B. Signaigo, Patrick Twohig, 
John Hallum, Wm. Hewitt, Wm. Miller, M. Doyle, Geo. 
Dixon, B. F. Boon. 

44th Corporate Year, 1871. — Mayor: John Johnson. 
Aldermen : Owen Dwyer, Phil. J. Mallon, T. F. Mackall, 
L T. Cartwright, J. C. Hoist, P. A. Cicalla, H. G. Dent, 
Thos. Moffatt, A. C. Bettis, M. J. Pendergrast. Council- 
men: John Zent, John Walsh, Wm. Chase, R. W. Light- 

(*) By default of an election, John Park, elected for the 39th 
Corpoi-ate Year, served to October loth, 1866, when W. O. Lof- 
land, elected 13th October, 1866, was qualified and served until 
January, 1838. By the same act one-half of the Aldermen elected 
for the 40th Corporate Year served till January, 1869, which 
having been determined by lot, fell upon Aldermen Powers, John- 
son, Wickersham, Boiling, O'Donnell, Townsend, Lemon and 
Passmore. 



42 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

burne, Lewis Amis, Jr., Henry Escliman, R. P. Duncan, 
J. M. Pettigrew, N. Malatesta, James Bacliman, J. B. 
Signaigo, Patrick Twohig, J. D. Raffin, Yf . M. Harve}', 
J. Genette, J. R. Grehan, Gus. Reder, J. F. Schabell, J. 
H. Smith, M. Boland. 

45th Corporate Year, 1872. — Mayor: John Johnson. 
Aldermen: John Walsh, Phil. J. Mallon, T. F. Mackall, 
J. M. Pettigrew, N. Malatesta, P. A. Cicalla, H. G. Dent, 
M. Burke, B. F. White, Jr., M. J. Pendergrast. Council- 
men : John Zent, Thos. Foley, S. B. Robbins, Wm. Schade, 
Jacob Steinkuhl, A. D. Gibson, C. A. Beehn, J. L. Nor- 
ton. James Bachman, W. P. Martin, J. Halstead, W. M. 
Harve}^, A. J. White, A. H. Dickerson, J. Genette, H. 
Marks, J. F. Schabell, Gus. Reder, J. H. Smith, P. Colli- 
gan. 

46th Corporate Year, 1873. — Mayor: John Johnson. 
Aldermen : John Walsh, S. B. Bobbins, Andrew Davis^ 
J. M. Pettigrew, N. Malatesta, P. A. Cicalla, J. J. Busb}^, 
M. Burke, B. F. White, Jr., P. Colligan. Councilmen: 
John Zent, M. Y. Holbrook, Wm. Hewitt, Wm. J. Chase, 
C. A. Beehn, J. L. Norton, A. R. Droescher, Jno. A. 
Roush, Edward Shaw, Joseph Clouston, Jr., Benj. Bing- 
ham, C. E. Clarke, S. C. Toof, Turner Hunt, A. J. White, 
John P. Hughes, Geo. M. Grant, P. S. Simons, J. H. 
Smith, Turner Mason. 



MARTIAL LAW. 

The municipal government of this city having been 
administered during the 38th Corporate Year by ap- 
pointees of Major General Washburn, commanding the 
United States millitaiy forces in the city at that time, it 



MARTIAL LAAV. 43- 

is thought advisable to present the several orders under 
which the civil government was, for the time being, set 
aside. 

Headquarters District of AYest Tennessee,) 
Memphis, Tenn., July 2, 1864. \ 

Special Orders No. 70.] 

I. The utter failure of the municipal government of 
Memphis for the past two years to discharge its proper 
functions, the disloyal character of that government, its 
want of sj^mpath}^ for the Government of the United 
States, and its indisposition to co-operate with the mil- 
itary authorities, have long been felt as evils w^hich the 
public welfare required to be abated. They have grown 
from bad to worse, until a further toleration of them will 
not comport with the sense of duty of the Commanding'- 
General. The cit}^ of ]Mempis is under martial law, and 
the municipal government existing since the armed trai- 
tors were driven from the city has been only b}^ suffer- 
ance of the militaiy authorities of the United States^ 
Therefore, under the authority of General Orders No. 
100, dated War Department, Adjutant General's office, 
April 24, 1863, 

It is ordered, That the funcions of the municipal 
government of Memphis be and they are hereby sus- 
pended until further orders. 

The present incumbents are forbiden to perform any 
official acts or exercise any authority whatever; and per- 
sons supposed to be elected officers of the cit}' at an elec- 
tion held on June 30, 1864, will not qualif3^ That the 
interests and business of the cit}^ may not be interrupted, 
the following appointments of officers are made : 

Acting Maj'or — Lieut. Col. Thomas H. Harris, Ass't 
Adj't General U. S. Volunteers. 

Recorder — F. W. Buttinohaus. 



44 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

Treasurer — James D. Davis. 

Comptroller — W. O. Lofland. 

Tax Collector— F. L. Warner. 

Tax Collector on Privileges — John Loague. 

Chief of Police— P. M. Winters. 

Wharfmaster — J. J. Butler. 

Who will be full}^ respected in the exercise of the du- 
ties assigned them; and all records, papers moneys and 
property in any manner pertaining to the offices, govern- 
ment and interests of the city of Memphis, will be im- 
mediatel}^ turned over b}^ the present holders thereof to 
the officers above appointed to succeed them. Said offi- 
cers will be duly sworn to the faithful discharge of their 
duties, and will be required to give bonds to the United 
States in the sums at present prescribed by law and the 
city ordinances for such officers respectively. 

The officers herein named and apponited will consti- 
tute a Board, which shall discharge the duties heretofore 
devolving upon the Board of Aldermen, and the Acting 
Mayor shall be Chairman thereof; and their acts, reso- 
lutions and ordinances shall be valid and of full force and 
effect until revoked by the Commanding General of the 
Distrct of West Tennessee, or superior military author- 
ity. 

By order of Major General C. C. Washburn. 

W. H. MORGAN, Maj. and Ass't Adj't Gen'l 

Official: W. H. Morgan, Ass't Adj't Gen'l. 

Headquarters District of West Tennessee,) 
Memphis, Tenn., July 2, 1864. \ 
Special Order No. 70.] 

[Extract.] 

XIII. L. R. Richards is hereby appointed Register 
of the City of Memphis and a member of the Board, 



MARTIAL LAW. 45 

constituted by Special Order No. 70, Part I, of this date, 
from these Headquarters. 

By order of Major General C. C. Washburn. 

W. H. MORGAN, Ass't Adj't Gen'l. 

To Lieut. Col Harris, A. A. Gen. and Acting Mayor. 

• Headquarters District of West Tennessee,) 
Memphis, Tenn., July 16, 1864. j 

Special Orders No. 83.] 

[Extract.] 

I. Paragraph I of Special Orders No. 70, from these 
Headquarters, dated July 2, 1861, is hereby so modified 
as to constitute the persons hereinafter named a Council 
to discharge the duties heretofore devolving upon the 
Board of Mayor and Alderman of the City of Memphis, 
and they, with the Acting Mayor are hereby invested 
with all the powers heretofore exercised b}^ the said 
Board of Mayor and Aldermen, and shall receive the 
usual compensation, and be known as the Provisional 
Mayor and Council of the City of Memphis. 

1st Ward — J. P. Foster, Andrew Renkert. 

2d Ward— G. D. Johnson, S. T. Morgan. 

3d Ward— B. F. C. Brooks, A. J. Miller. 

4th Ward— I. M. Hill, J. G. Owen. 

5th Ward — W. S. Bruce, Wm. W. Jones. 

6th Ward— J. E. Merriman, C. C. Smith. 

7th Ward— G. P. Ware, Joseph Tagg. 

8th Ward— Patrick Sherry, H. T. Hulbert. 
By order of Major General C. C. Washburn. 

W. H. MORGAN, Ass't Adj't Gen'l. 

Official: Chas. H. Townsend, 

Lieut, and Act'g Ass't Adj't Gen'l. 
Headquarters District of West Tennessee, ^ 
Memphis, Tenn., July 28, 1861. j 

E. T. Morgan is hereby appointed City Attorney for 
the City of Memphis. 

By order of Major General C. C. Washburn. 



46 history of memphis. 

Headquarters District of West Tennessee,) 
Memphis, Tenn., August 12, 1864. \ 
Special Orders No. 112] 

IX. 1. P. M. Winters is hereby relieved from duty 
from this date as Chief of Police of theCi t}' of Memphis. 

2. J. P. Foster is relieved from duty as Councilman 
for the First Ward, and is appointed Chief of Police of 
the City of Memphis from this date. 

3. Henry G. Smith, Esq., is appointed Councilman 
for the First Ward, vice J. P. Foster, appointed Chief of 
Police. 

4. J. B. Wetherill is appointed Councilman for the 
Fifth Ward, vice Wm. S. Bruce, resigned. 

By order of Major General C. C. Washburn. 

Headquarters District of West Tennessee,/ 
Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 6, 1864. \ 

Special Orders No. 134.] 

Wm. M. Farrington, Esq., is hereby appointed Alder- 
man of the Third Ward, in the city of Memphis, in the 
place of A. J. Miller, deceased. 

By order 'Of Major General C. C. Washburn. 

Headquarters District of West Tennesssee,) 
Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 4, 1864. f 
Special Orders Ko. 159.] 

W. E. Moore, Esq., is hereby appointed Councilman, 
for the First Ward, City of Memphis, vice H. G. Smith, 
Esq., resigned. 

By order of Brigadier General M. L. Smith. 

W. H. MORGAN, Ass't Adj't Gen'l. 
To Lieut. Col. T. H. Harris, Milt'y Mayor Memphis. 

Headquarters District of West Tennessee,) 
Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 19, 1864. j 

[Extract II.] 
Special Orders No. 173.] 

In obedience to orders from the Headquarters 16th 



MARTIAL LAW 47 

Army Corps, Lieut. Col. T. H. Harris, Assistant Adju- 
tant General, is hereby relieved from duty as Acting 
Maj^or of the City of Memphis, and will report in person 
to Major Gen. Dana, at headquarters of the corps at 
Vicksburg, Miss. 

Capt. Chauning Richards, 22d Ohio Volunteers, is 
hereby relieved from duty at the Headquarters District 
of Memphis, and is appointed Acting Mayor of the City 
of Memphis. He will enter upon his duties immediatel}^, 
and will carr}^ out the general policy and measures 
initiated by Lieutenant Colonel Harris, reporting to 
these Headquarters. 

By order of Brigadier General Morgan L. Smith. 
W. H. MORGAN, Maj. and Ass't Adj't Gen'l. 

Official: W. H. Morgan, Ass't Ad'j Gen'l. 

Headquarters District of West Tennessee,) 
Memphis, Tenn., July 3, 1865. j" 

[Extract HI.J 
General Orders, No. 170.] 

Extract I, Special Orders No. 70, and Extract I, 
Special Orders No. 83, series of 1304, from these Head- 
C[uarters, are hereb}^ revoked, and the officers appointed 
b}' them will cease to exercise their functions after this 
date. 

They will also turn over to the officers elect all books 
and papers pertaining to their several offices. 

By order of Major General Jno. E. Smith. 

W. H. MORGAN, Brev't Brig. Gen'l and A. A. G. 



LIST OP CITY OFFICERS AT PRESENT DATE, 



Mayor, - 
Comptroller, 
Register, 
Attorney, - 
Treasurer, 
Engineer, - 
Tax Collector, 
Wharfmaster, - 
Inspector, 
Lumber Inspector, 
Sergeant-at-Arms, 
Mayor's Clerk, 
License Inspector, 



John Johnson. 
Fred. C. Schaper. 

- Lewis R. Richards. 

W. M. Randolph. 

John Newsom. 

J. H. Humphreys. 

Felix W. Robertson. 

R. W. Lightburne. 

- Edward Barinds. 

- T. W. Rice. 

- A. C. Bettis. 
J. H. Freligh. 

- W. B. Allen. 



CITY SCHOOLS. 

OFFICERS OF THE BOARD. 

R. B. IVlAURY, M.D., President. J. G. Cairns, Secretary. 

W. S. Bruce, Vice-President. H. E. Garth, Treasurer. 

H. C. Slaughter, Superintendent. 

members of the board. 
1st. "Ward — M. Garvin, Henry Secssel, Jr., 
2d. Ward— H. D. Connell, Dr. C. E. Miner. 
3d. Ward— Dr. R. W. Mitchell, D. P. Hadden. 
4th Ward— Noland Fontaine, N. J. Wiggin. 
5th Ward— G. P. Cook, H. G. Harrington. 
6th Ward— H. E. Andrews, C. Kortrecht. 
7th Ward— J. H. Barnum, Wm. D. Beard. 
8th Ward— A. E. Prankland, Wm. Farris. 
9th Ward— George E. Irwin, W. Z. Mitchell. 
10th Ward— Jas. O. Pierce, A. H. Merrill. 

4 



50 



HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

POLICEMEN. 



OFFICERS. 

P. R Athy, ........ Chief. 

G. R Weatherpord, - - - - - - - Captain. 

C. T. Smith, Captain. 

C. H. Braun, Sergeant. 

M. Dea, Sergeant. 

R. F. Aratta, Sergeant. 

P. McElroy, Sergeant. 

S. L. Barinds, Clerk. 

W. Fkatherstone. ... - Slation-Honse Keeper. 
E. G. Forrest, . . . Assistant Station- House Keeper. 
A. G. Tucker, - - - Assistant Station-House Keeper. 
W. G. McIlvaine, • - - Assistant Station-House Keeper. 

.Tas. a. Torry, Turnkey. 

Thomas Garyey, Turnkey. 



Allison, M. M. 
Alt, C. W. 
Baker, T. N. 
Birmingham, F. 
Boyd, A. M. 
Brown. H. 
Brown, W. P. 
Campen, J. 
Carmichael, T. 
Clancey, John. 
Clements, H. 
Cogbill, T. C. 
Costillo, William. 
Couch, F. 
Cullen, H. D. 
Cusick, P. 
Davis, W. C. 
Dougherty, J. 
Elliot, Robert. 



privates. 

Farrel, Thomas. 
Fitzpatrick, J. 
Getzendanner, J. 
Hackett, P. 
Hagerty, P. 
Homan, William. 
Hope, Tim. 
Huber, J. J. 
Jenny, F. W. 
Kroker, F. 
McAuliffe, E. 
McCormick, T. 
McDonnel, C. E. 
McDonough, J. 
McElroy, F. R. 
McKenna, James. 
McNulty, M. 
McPartland, J. 



Malowney, M. 
Malowney, P. 
Manuel, R. C. 
Morrison, C. L. 
O'Mahoney, T. 
Pickett, O. B. 
Piltz, Louis. 
Richards, J. 
Rogers, W. S. 
Scanland, W. S. 
Schlick, Charles. 
Scott, Jas. 
Servatus, L. 
Sheehan, P. 
Shepperd, R. D. 
Sommers, T. M. 
Walsh, John. 
Wilson, H. 



FIRE DEPARTMENT. 



J. D. D ANBURY — NO, 1. 

James Madden, Captaiu. Thomas Quinn, Pipeman, . 

Joseph Hickey, Engineer. James Finn, Assistant Pipeman. 

Arthur Dwyer, Fireman. Patrick Connel, Hoseman. 

Timothy Ryan, Engine Driver. Michael Ragan, Hoseman. 
James Ryan, Hose Driver. 

VOLENTINE — NO. 2. * 

W. J. Raja, Captain. W. F. Carroll, Pipeman. 

J. R. Clark, Engineer. Geo. Saxon, Assistant Pipeman. 

Charles Piaggio, Fireman. A. B. Weaver, Hoseman. 

Patrick Scott, Engine Driver. John Mahrans, Hoseman. 
L. D. Young, Hose Driver. 

DESOTO — NO. 3. 

James Cleary, Captain. John Schirmaster, Pipemaia. 

P. G. Kenuett, Engineer. Edw. Cunny, Assistant Pipeman. 

C. H. M. Smith, Fireman. P. H. Duffy, Hoseman. 

Wm. J. Crosby, Engine Driver. Michael Cleary, Hoseman. 
Antone McCarty, Hose Driver. 

WASHINGTON — NO. 4. 

M. McFadden, Captain. John Hackett, Pipeman. 

James Dolan, Engineer. John McMahon, Assis't Pipeman. 

John Sullivan, Fireman. Timothy Foley, Hoseman. 

Jno. Cunningham, Eng'e Driver. George Cox, Hoseman. 
James Stokes, Hose Driver. 

PIONEER HOOK AND LADDER COMPANY, NO. 1. 

Patrick Haley, Captain. J. Shaughnessy, Truckman. 

Barney Lynch, Driver. Clinte Klinke, Truckman. 

Frank Esan. Truckman. 



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 



I am indebted to many gentlemen for material aid in 
obtaining documents and information, without which 
this work would have been quite deficient, if not a failure ; 
and to whom I take this method of returning my sincere 
thanks — among whom I will name : 

Judge John M. Lea, of Nashville. 

Hon. John Overton, Jr., the grandson of Judge John 
Overton, the founder and original proprietor of Mem- 
phis. 

Joseph J. Rawlings, the oldest resident in the city. 

Col. Wm. T. Avery, Clerk of the Criminal Court. 

Judge T. S. Ayres, one of our oldest Attorneys. 

Col. Geo. W. Winchester, son of General James Win- 
chester, a distinguished officer of the war of 1812, and 
one of the original proprietors of Memphis. 

George Gillham, one of our most promising lawyers, 
who has aided me greatly in getting up the history of 
Fanny Wright. 

John Brown, the Register of Shelby county. 

Wm. B. Waldran, one of our oldest and most enter- 
prising citizens. 

Squire R. L. Richards, City Register for half a life- 
time, and who first walked this bluff in 1818. 

James S. and M. J. Andrews, sons of Mr. Joseph I. 



54 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

Andrews, one of our oldest and most substantial mer- 
chants. 

Geo. W. Gift, Secretary of the Memphis Gas Works, 
and son of one of our oldest citizens. 

Richard C. Hite, the publisher, whom as boy an:! 
man I have known on this bluff for forty-five j- ears, and 
son of my old friend, Capt. Zachariah Hite. 

The Appeal, and most particularly to Col. L. J. 
DuPree, to whom, if this work contains any merit, the 
reader is more indebted, than to any one else; in fact, 
had it not been for his advice and encouragement, I 
should never have undertaken it. I am also indebted 
to CoLS. M. C. Galloway and J. M. Keating, of the 
Appeal, for many favors and general kindness. 

The Author. 



OUR ENGRAVINGS. 



We present our readers with the portraits of Judge 
John Overton and General James Winchester, two of 
the three original proprietors of Memphis — the other 
being General Andrew Jaokson. 

We may safely sa^' that no other cit}' in the United 
States can boast of such distinguished and historic 
names as its original founders. Hon. John Overton is 
the grandson of Judge Overton, and Major George W. 
Winchester the son of General James Winchester — both 
beino- our fellow- citizens. 



> . 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 



The series of stories of early days, on this bluff and 
vicinit}^ which appeared in the columns of the Appeal, 
at intervals during the past four years, over the signature 
of " OLD TIMES," were brought out in the following 
manner. Col. L. J. DuPree, of the Appeal, appeared to 
be about the only man in the city who evinced much 
desire for old reminiscences, and although naturally 
a very friendly man, I have attributed much of his 
apparent attachment for me to this cause. " Tell us about 
old times" was his common exclamation on meeting, and 
he finally applied that appellation to me. Through his 
importunities I commenced their publication, and soon 
awakened a lively interest in their perusal, and their 
reproduction in book form has been urgently demanded. 
Several other old citizens also contributed liberall}', 
some of whose contributions, by permission, is herein re- 
published. Others I would have treated in like manner, 
but was unable to procure them. Several stories, though 
written for the Appeal, were, through neglect on my part, 
not published, and will now appear for the first time. 

Some changes will also be observed, both in addition 
and omission, which were made with a view to correction 
and improvement. With the hope that they will meet 
the approbation of the reader, 

I remain, as heretofere, the same 

OLD TIMES. 



56 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 



RAWLINGS AND WINCHESTER. 



Persons at the present day passing along Commerce 
street, in the northern part of the city, and witnessing 
its neglected and filthy, (condition, might be slow to 
believe that it was once the principal thoroughfare 
leading into what is now known as the City of Memphis. 
Such was, however, the case. A glance at the map will 
show that the streets on both sides of the bayou diverge 
from what was once known as Anderson's bridge, and if 
a map of the town had been drawn forty years ago, it 
would show a divergence of roads up, down and across 
the bluff to the river, at the foot of said street; and even as 
late as 1837, when a wharf or bridge was built across the 
bar in front of the town,one of its two branches terminated 
at the foot of Commerce street; but the great importance 
of this street resulted from natural causes. Any one 
who will examine the eastern bank of the bayou at 
Anderson's bridge will yet perceive that it was once the 
most accessible point, while on the west there were two 
deep ravines, one between Front and Main, and the 
other about Second street, running in a northeast di- 
rection and heading about Commerce street, making ?'t 
the most northern route by which these ravines could be 
crossed by teams, which, after reaching Front street^ 
would then pass up to Auction and thence down to the 
river. 

Anderson's bridge, as it was afterwards called, was 
once one of the most important localities within what is 
now the city limits. 

It was the general camping ground, especially for 
Indians, who in early times constituted the principal 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 57 

traders. The bayou was then supplied b}^ numerous 
springs, which furnished more than ten times the pres- 
ent current, and the bed being entirely free from any 
impurity, and running through a dense forest, the stream 
was as fresh and sparkling at the bridge as at any point 
above, and it was a most beautiful place. 

OLD IKE RAWLINGS. 

The principal merchant at the bridge, and the only 
one worthy the name, was '"Squire" Isaac Rawlings, or 
afterward more familliarly knpwn as ' Old Ike Rawlings.' 
He came here originally as sutler with Jackson's army, 
about 1813. He also held the position of Indian agent 
up to the time I think of their removal. As late as 1825 
he had a large supply of Indian and army stores in the 
block houses at Fort Pickering. This part of the State 
then being in the possession of the Indians, no civil 
offices existed, and he first held the office of Magistrate 
by a sort of popular appointment, without an}^ election 
or commission, as was common throughout the "Western 
District." 

It is questionable whether justice was not more 
equally administered then than it has ever been since, 
for when that functionary said, " Take him out and 
give him thirty-nine or some less number of lashes on 
the bare back," it was done. There was no appeal nor 
any costs or fees. In cases of debt there were no 
exemption or stay laws. Yet Ike gave such time or 
exempted such property as he thought proper, and rarely 
failed to give satisfaction. Marriage ceremonies were 
generally performed by Judge Foy, on the other side of 
the river. In reference to the Foys, of whom there 
were three brothers, there is considerable history, which 
may be given hereafter. [Refer to the history of Foy's 
Point.] 



58 HISTORY OF 3IEMPHIS. 

After the extinction of the Indian titles, the Legisla- 
ture appointed magistrates. Ike was made one of them, 
but he did not give the satisfaction when administering 
justice by a written system, as when governed by the 
dictates of his honest heart. He then devoted himself 
closely to the study of law, particularly to the decisions of 
the most distinguished judges, and loved to refer to them 
in an}^ decision, however trivial. Nothing pleased him 
more than to correct a lawyer in. his quotations, or to 
argue legal points with the ablest of them. Young 
lawyers feared him; some of the older ones, R. C. 
McAlpin, for instance, knew exactly how to take him, 
by pa^dng the greatest deference to what he termed^ 
"Your honor's superior knowledge." The Squire thus 
became most inordinately vain, and if he were not one 
of the most learned men of his day, he certainly was 
greatly mistaken in himself. 

MAJOR MARCUS B. WINCHESTER. 

I think it was about the year 1815 that Marcus B. 
Winchester established himself here. He was then 
quite a young man, of veiy pleasing address, and was the 
first formidable competitor in the mercantile line that 
Ike had ever encountered. -Peddlers came along fre- 
quently and took off some of Ike's trade, and there were 
several little whisk^^-shop concerns, with a few remnants 
of " all sorts," but they were very little in his wa}^, and 
generally played but in a short time; but Winchester's 
stock laid anything of the kind that Rawlings had ever 
produced perfectly in the shade. 

Ike, however, was determined to pursue the even tenor 
of his way, not doubting but that the "young fop" 
would soon run his race and be anxious to sell out at any 
price. But in this he was mistaken, and no doubt deeply 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 59 

chagrined, to think thnt anyone should prosper in defi- 
ance of his fixed rules and grave predictions. Ike was 
considered an oracle, and consulted on all subjects. 

A year passed, and instead of proposing to sell, new 
supplies were being received every month or two, and 
everybod}", except the squire, believed that Winchester 
was getting rich. 

AN EPISODE. 

The purchase of this territory from the Indians was 
from some cause delayed, and it might be doing injus- 
tice to the original proprietors of Memphis to give the 
current opinions and charges entertained and made 
against them, particularl}^ Generals Jackson and Win- 
chester, and especially against Jackson, by the settlers, 
many of whom had served under him during the war, 
and looked upon him as their particular friend. They 
expected that as soon as the purchase was made their 
rights as settlers, acquired by peaceable purchase from 
Indian?, would be respected, or at least, that the "occu- 
pant laws" would be extended to them. It was also 
thought that the old North Carolina revolutionary land 
grants had all been located, and if not, this territory 
would not be subject to them. Whether these opinions 
were well founded or not, it is too late to inquire. 

JOHN c. m'lemore. 
The town of Memphis was laid off on what was known 
as the " John Rice Grant." General Jackson being im- 
pressed with some high asperations about this time, aoid 
perhaps anxious to relieve himself of the ill-feeling en- 
gendered by this purchase, sold his interest to Colonel 
John C. McLemore, who thus became one of the proprie- 
tors, and proved the most active and liberal friend the 
town had. Throucrh his exertions the larsrest number of 



60 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

settlers were induced to make this "bluff their home, and 
in less than a year the population had increased from 
about two hundred to six hundred inhabitants. 

THE RIVALS. 

Winchester had established himself on Front street, 
immediately south of Jackson, where he built a house 
far surpassing an}^ other on the bluff at that day. In 
front of the spot on which the commandant's house now 
stands there was a handsome grove of locust and plum 
trees. From this- grove he made f^ corduroy road, leading 
down the side of the bluff, from the foot of Commerce 
street, and terminating at the lower point of the batture, 
opposite the foot of Jackson street, making a shorter 
and better road to the landing than by way of Auction 
street. He also cut a road, or rather footpath, down the 
ravine at the foot of Market street to a large spring that 
bubbled up at that point. Many of the country people 
thought the river water unfit to drink. These improve- 
ments, with the view of the river and the occasiona 
sight of a steamboat, made this grove the wagoners'" 
most popular camping ground. 

Rawlings, who still retained his position at the bridge^ 
saw with sorrow his trade drooping daily. His old cus- 
tomers would drive by his door, and occasionally one, who 
had not been to town for a long time, would stop to in- 
quire the way to Winchester's. Others still stuck to Ike 
and the old camping ground, particularly the Indians^ 
who cared no more for the sight of a steamboat than the 
old dray horse does of the present day. The fact, how- 
ever, that the trade was leaving the bridge and going to the 
bluff, was too glaring, and Ike determined to rally. He 
had wealth, and felt certain of his popularit}'. All he 
lacked, as he thought, was the position. This he deter- 
mined to possess. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 61 

He selected a lot on the west side of second street, 
between Jackson and Winchester streets, which, through 
an agent, he purchased for some ten or fifteen dollars, and 
was perhaps the first property he ever owned on the blufl". 
Most persons prefer building on the corner of two streets, 
particularl}^ a business house, but Ike preferred the rear 
on the corner of two allays. This was not owing to any 
peculiar whim. He considered it a strategic point, as 
military men would say, being high and overlooking the 
camping ground at the bridge, and also that on the blufi*, 
and being about an equal distance from each would enable 
him to retain the full trade of the former and at the same 
time secure part of the latter. 

A great difficulty intervened. The surveyor had made 
this great thoroughfare an alley instead of a street. This 
he perceived could still be remedied, but not without 
some sacrifice. He would be obliged to go to Winches- 
ter, who represented the proprietors, and ask to have 
this alley widened. After some hesitation he put on a 
bold front and made the request. This was fortunate. 
Although it made no difference on the part of Winchester, 
it softened the haughty and defiant bearing of Rawlings. 
The readiness with which the request was granted, the 
importance and necessit}^ of the change admitted, and 
the conduct of Winchester throughout, could not fail to 
have a beneficial effect on his competitor; and when the 
latter asked permission to suggest a name, " with pleas- 
ure" v*'as the affable reply; so Ike pronounced it 

"commerce street." 

Ike was an enemj^ to progress, and his predictions of 

evil was not so much through enmity to Winchester as 

his natural disposition to discourage public undertakings. 

He went ahead, however, and put up a good house, be- 



62 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

cause he did not wish to be too far behind his rival. 
The old building is still there, but the hill has been 
graded down and a basement added, making the house a 
story higher than formerly. He brought on quite a large 
stock of goods, a portion of which remained on hand at 
the time of his death, some eighteen j^ears later. The 
reason was that he marked his goods according to 
his former rates, and the fact that every bod}^ was un- 
derselling him was no reason in his mind that he should 
change his prices. Although he was so ready to advise 
economy, he did not like to have a customer tell him 
that he would go elsewhere unless he would sell as low 
as others. Occasionally a citizen, after canvassing the 
town and failing to find a certain article, would go to 
Rawlings' and find it there. The 'Squire would take it 
down and examine the mark and price, which neither 
time nor decay could alter. 

The store finally became a mere magistrate's office. 
He had his regular daily programme, which nothing but 
legal business could induce him to deviate from. 

He would sit for hours r'.rguing legal questions without 
regard to other pressing matters. He loved to be called 
on for advice, whether on law, commerce or agriculture. 
It was his boast that he asked advice of no one. In the 
meantime the town had not been improved as had been 
expected. In fact, it is questionable whether Memphis 
did not retrograde, for which there were several reasons, 
to be enumerated hereafter. Ike, however, claimed it 
as an evidence of his foresight. Had he clai-ned the 
credit of contributing largely to this result he would 
have been nearer the truth. 

MEMPHIS ASTONISHED. 

In 1826 the citizens were taken by surprise, on read- 
ing the Nashville papers, to learn that Memphis was an 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 63 

incorporated town. Some were very mad, others in- 
different, and others again thought that it would be a 
good thing. They very generally abhorred the idea 
of taxes, and the fear was that we were to be 
terribly taxed. A public meeting was called, at which 
Ike presided. Speakers denounced the thing as a trick 
of the proprietors. Those living on the outskirts— some 
half a dozen poor devils who never were known to pay 
a cent of taxes in their lives, but who make the best 
evidences of the iniquitous system— looked as though 
they never could survive the shock. But Ike rushed to 
their rescue and surpassed himself in eloquence in their 
behalf, bringing forth a weight of authority sufficient 
to crush any one-horse corporation on earth, and smack- 
ing his lips at the conclusion of each sentence, as much 
as to sa}^, •' that 's unanswerable." Winchester was not 
there, but others were, who showed clearly the great 
necessity for a corporation, and wound up by proposing 
to leave these unfortunates out, and as Ike had devoted 
himself exclusively to them he was obliged to look sat- 
isfied, though really he was not, for he designed killing 
the whole thing. A long, narrow area of land was 
therefore cut off the east side, and another off the south- 
ern. True, there was no one living at the south, but 
the}' did not know how soon some one might be. The 
change was agreed to unanimously, and the meeting 
adjourned with the best feeling; especially were they 
delighted who escaped the clutches of the new corpora- 
tion. They crowded around their benefactor, and were 
eloquent of gratitude. The amendment was forwarded 
and readily passed, signed and approved, and when too 
late it was discovered that forty-nine fiftieths of the 
territory cut off belonged to the proprietors, and that 
they were the only real beneficiaries of the change. In 



64 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

March following an election was held for Mayor and 
Aldermen. Seven persons were elected. Rawlings 
refused the use of his name, or he would have been the 
first, instead of the second Mayor. Major Winchester 
was chosen. At that time the Maj- or was elected by the 
Board from their own number. Old Ike still wielded a 
powerful influence over the minds of the people. They 
looked up and almost reverenced him, while his stern 
and repulsive manners rather added than detracted from 
his influence. He was the general referee, and law-suits 
were thus avoided. The man who refused to submit to his 
decrees was voted a knave. Some said that if it was the 
Rawlings of fifteen or twerty years ago, who acted on 
his own brains, they would have no hesitation, but the 
present was a different man, who borrowed ideas of jus- 
tice from law books. Much as some might dislike his 
peculiarities and self-important airs, none will ever say 
that Isaac Rawlings was any other than a man of the 
strictest integrity. I always looked upon him as vain, 
and ever seeking to be considered great by honorable 
means. There can be no doubt that a greater misfortune 
could never befall a new and rising town than the settle- 
ment of such a man in it; but the great wonder is, that 
he was not a more violent and out-spoken enemy to the 
town than he was ; for he certainly had a great deal to 
contend with, in the way of wounded pride and humbled 
importance, to see a mere bO}^, with comparatively little 
means, settle under his nose, take away his trade, weak- 
en his influence, excel him in foresight, shun his advice 
and counsel, trample all his unwavering theories under 
foot, give the lie to all his cherished principles, and still 
prosper; and this, too, in so gentlemanly and legitimate 
a manner as to leave him no pretext for an open rupture, 
if such had been desired. 



THK OLD TIMES FAPEKS. 



FORTUNES OF THE CITY AND OF WINCHESTER. 

After Memphis had passed two years of charterd life, 
during which time she had prospered considerable in 
population, trade, wealth and improvements, the legis- 
lature being again in session, our charter was amended, 
giving Memphis all the powers of Nashville, and likewise 
subjecting us to all the restrictions, one of which was, 
that the Mayor was debarred from holding a government 
office. This left Winchester out, unless he choose to 
resign the office of post-master, which it was well known 
he would not do, as the office of Mayor paid nothing, and 
was no little trouble. Raw^lings could have beaten him 
easilj', but he was not so certain about that, and he was 
too stiff to consult, much less to electioneer, with any 
one. His rival being out of the way, he was elected. 
Winchester, however, consented to serve on the Board. 
Ike made no objection, so far as I ever heard; and thus 
these two leading spirits and great lights of Memphis were 
at last brought together, and each no doubt sought to 
equal the other in politeness, if not in formal style. 

A MODEL MAYOR. 

To say that Isaac Rawlings made a good Mayor would 
be but an indifferent compliment. He superintended all 
the w^ork, paid out the money as though it were comini? 
from his own pocket. He improved the streets, partic- 
ularly Commerce street; not from selfishness, for his 
commercial days had gone by. In fsct he began to 
show quite an interest in the welfare and prosperity ol 
Memphis, and could hear it favorably spoken of without 
shaking his head. He held the office some five or six- 
years. Although beaten two or three times, he was 
always re-elected after being out one year. In the spring 
of 1834 he thought he would try his strength beyond the 

5 



66 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

town, and became a candidate to represent the county in 
the Constitutional Convention which met that year, but 
was beaten. 

A WONDERFUL ELECTION AND RARE OLD MEN. 

This was a very remarkable canvass, not only in the 
ability of the candidates, but from the fact that they 
were all abolitionists, or what would have been termed 
the worst of abolitionists, a few years after. One was 
Colonel Ward, who afterward was killed by his nephews; 
Adam R. Alexander, former member of Congress, Mr. 
Charles Stuart, and " The Squire." They mads speeches 
in front of Johnson's Tavern, detining their positions. 
The two first declared themselves literally opposed to 
slaveiy, and thej^ hoped the day would soon come when 
Tennessee would be rid of the curse, but were not pre- 
pared to advocate its abolition until a more speedy and 
efficient system of colonization was adopted. Rawlings 
hoped that some feasible plan would be brought before 
the Convention for removmg the curse, for no one could 
look upon it with greater abhorrence than himself, while 
Stuart pledged himself to bring forward a plan, if none 
others did, and urged that emancipation should precede, 
and colonization would readily follow. He secured 
decidedly the advantage of his competitors b}^ showing 
that they all acknowdedged it a curse, praj^ed for its 
extinction, and yet lacked the moral courage to combat it. 

THE FIRST MEMPHIS BANK. 

Ike, from one of the most retired, became one of Uw 
most public men of the town, at least in a financial way. 
He took an active part in getting up the Farmers and 
Merchants Bank, and while under his direction, there was 
not a better managed or more solvent institution in tlie 
Countrj*, and the same may be said of it while undei- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 67 

Winchesters administration. I will here add an incident 
in connection with the organization of this bank, the 
establishment of which formed a new and important 
epoch in the histor}^ of our town. Everybody who could, 
took stock in it, and little else was talked of in commercial 
circles. An informal meeting of some of the stock- 
holders was held, at which a list of suitable persons for 
Directors was prepared, in which, as a matter of course, 
the names of my heroes figured. This was carried to 
Rawlings, who read it over, frowned, and after smacking 
his lips, said: "Gentlemen, that, with one exception, will 
suit me." This was what the parties dreaded. It was 
their desire that the best of feeling should exist in the 
board; especially between its most prominent mem- 
bers. 

Their fears, however, were soon relieved by Ike's dash- 
ing the pen across his own name, instead of that of 
Winchesters, as had been feared. "There," said he, with 
another smack of the lips, " with that omission the board 
will suit me." When the election came off the ticket, with 
Ike's name restored, went through with but little scatter- 
ing opposition, though it appeared that Winchester was 
smartly ahead of Rawlings, and some of the less discreet 
undertook to jeer the old man about it. " Yes," said he, 
he has beaten me to the extent of my own vote. Had I 
voted for myself, as he did, I should not have been behind 
him." Which, on examination, was found to be the case. 
Rawlings was never elected president, but frequently 
acted as such, and I think the first bills issued bore his 
name as president pro tem. After Rawlings' death 
Winchester was elected president. Rawlings also started 
the first insurance ofl3ce in Memphis. I have endeavored 
to be very brief, and therefore omitted many incidents 
in the narrative of this singular man that mii^ht have 



68 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

proved interesting; also some amusing anecdotes, 
another of which I will venture to give. 

A HARD STORY. 

Passing Johnson's tavern once, in his very erect and 
rapid manner, he was stopped by Gus Young and Bob 
Lawrence, two pretty fast 3'oung men, but not more so 
than was common at that day, who asked him to settle a 
legal question between them. The "Squire" did not 
like to be stopped in the street, but legal questions had 
precedence over everything else, so he smacked his lips, 
indicating that he was read}-. Gus explained that he 
had sold Bob a lot, with a stable on it, in the loft of 
which there was a quantity of corn, while outside, on 
the lot, there was a pile of manure. After the sale and 
transfer, he sent to haul away this corn and manure, 
but Lawrence forbade the removal, claiming them as his 
property, by virtue of the purchase of the lot. Ike 
smacked his lips again, and decided that the corn could 
be removed, as it was personal property', but the manure 
was a part of the realty, as much so as if it was spread 
over or plowed into the ground. He quoted several 
standard authorities in support of his decision, and 
again smacked his lips. "Well," said Gus, with an 
apparently perplexed air, "can you now tell us, 'Squire, 
how a mule can eat personal property and discharge 
real estate?" Ike saw the sell at once, and after bestow- 
ing a withering look on the offenders, turned on his heel 
and walked off, grasping his cane in a manner that 
clearly said that he would like to use it on somebody, 
while the crowd engaged in a general and boisterous 
laugh. 

HOW SAD THE END OF SUCH A LIFE. 

The Squire became afflicted with a cancer in his spine, 
which terminated his life. The last time he appeared 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 69 

on the streets was at the Presidental election in 1840. 
He was carried to the polls in an easy chair, by two 
negro men, for he was a strong Whig, while Winchester 
was an eqiiall}^ strong Democrat. When he offered his 
vote with his trembling hand, he had the mortification 
to have it challenged, and that, too, on the ground that 
he Avas a dead man. He had been given up by his 
physician, and had made all his arangements for death 
sometime before. Such was the bitterness of party 
feeling at that time. The judges, however, paid no 
attention to the challenge, but took the proffered vote, 
and he was carried home never to leave the house again. 
When the illumination for the election of Harrison and 
Tyler came off, a number of us went to greet him. We 
found him in his easy chair, and rolled him to the door, 
as we did not want the crowd to enter, when the old 
man raised his palsied hands and added his dying voice 
to the general cheering. He said — " Now my friends I 
can die happy," and in a short time thereafter Issac 
Rawlings was at rest forever. 

WINCHESTER AGAIN. 

Major Winchester made a good Mayor, but he had 
too much other business to attend to. If he became not 
popular he at least won much of public confidence. Raw- 
lings still divided with him the labors of banker, and 
was the equal of any one in integrity, but he had not 
the Major's bland and pleasing manners, and was 
wholly deficient in financial skill. Winchester on the 
other hand, was a perfect expert. Our currency was 
mostly State, local and individual bank notes, which 
were invariably at a greater or less discount. Besides, 
we had some spurious banks, with no small amount of 
counterfeits, with all of which the Mayor seemed per- 



70 HISTOKV OF MEMPHIS. 

fectly familiar; and in i>ioportion to tlie population, J 
might say his store was crowded daily with gratuitous 
custom, mostly to test mone}^ while many others came 
to deposit or draw out money. There were a number of 
old settlers in the neighborhood, wholly unlettered, j^et 
men of considerable property. These could not be 
induced to touch anything in the way of paper mone^' 
until Winchester had passed judgment on it, and 
strange to say, a large portion of the money here then 
belonged to negroes, generally in small savings, but 
almost all boasted of haA'ing money in "massa Win- 
chester's hands," and not unfrequently enough to buy 
themselves. Slavery was then very different from what 
it was ten or twentj^ years afterward, when abolitionism 
rose up. Almost every master gave his slaves an oppor- 
tunity to earn money for themselves. 

^VINCHESTER's TECULIAKITIES. 

I have heard that Winchester opened a regular ac- 
count with all his slaves, charging them with their 
purchase money, food, clothing, etc., and crediting them 
with all their services, with a view to their ultimate 
emancipation. Another class that had the greatest con- 
fidence in the Major, was the women, who never doubted 
his honor. I allude to widows and such as had estates 
to manage, and I will venture to say that not one of 
them had ever cause to regret it. Reference to these 
facts reminds me of one remarkable case. 

EANNV WRIGHT A FUNNV STORY. 

1 allude to Miss Fanny Wright, she was of large 
masculine figure, strong voice, and most remarkable 
oratorical powers. She had traveled over the United 
States during Mr. Adams' administration, lecturing 
against the contticting forms of religion and tlie holy 



THE OLD TIMLS TAPERS. 71 

marriage ties. Tlie latter, she contended, was a mere 
<.'ivil contract, to be entered into or dissolved at the will 
of the parties to it. She then favored the abolition of 
slavery, and, it was said, amalgamation, which I am 
satisfied was not true. However obnoxious her doctrines 
may seem, they took for a time remarkably well. Her 
audiences were very large and orderh'. Societies, em- 
bracing her creed, were formed in numerous cities, com- 
posed of the most wealthy and influential, if not moral, 
inhabitants. Whether Winchester had anything to do 
vs'ith her settlement in this neighborhood, or embraced 
her doctrines, I do not know, but she certainl}' had 
unbounded confidence in him as her agent and adviser. 
She purchased a large tract of land, known yet as 
the Nashobah lands, about twelve miles from the city, 
on which she designed establishing a colony, and ex- 
pended considerable money on it; but she fell in love 
and violated her own principles by getting married, 
acccording to usual forms, to the disgust of her adhe- 
rents. 

There was also a Mrs. TroUope, who took a tour 
through this country about 1829, and on her return to 
England, published a book, abusing and ridiculing the 
Americans in every possible manner. vShe paid our 
infant town a visit, and one of the verj' lew exceptions 
to her general abuse was Major Marcus B. Win- 
chester, whom she pronounced a perfect man. We 
were also visited b}' a notorious old hag, who flourished 
about that time, and gloried in the name of Mrs. Ann 
Royal. She published a scurrilous paper in Washington 
City, called the Paul Pry, and extorted a vast amount of 
money, in the shape of blackmail, from members of Con- 
gress and others, in order to escape her foul abuse; but 
never tired in her praise of Major Winchester and his 



72 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

interesiing family, which, instead of being a reproach, 
she held to be an evidence of his nobleness of soul, rising 
above cast and prejudice. These were all English wo- 
men, and it is possible had some previous knowledge of 
Winchester. 

It will be remembered that he served on the staff of his 
father. General James Winchester, with the rank of Major, 
and was captured at the disastrous defeat of the river 
Raisin and carried to Quebec, where he attracted a great 
deal of attention, for the remarkable beauty of his fea- 
tures and figure, his gentlemanl}^ and soldierlike bear- 
ing, and, above all, his astonishing intelligence, though 
a beardless boy. He met with man^^ English tourists 
there, who conceived for him a strong attachment, par- 
ticularly the female portion of them; and in their letters 
home, some of which yere published, ridiculing and 
scandalizing the American people generally, and her mil- 
itary men particularh^, were lavish in their praise of the 
"little Yankee Major;" and it maybe that the Trollopes, 
Royals and others might have been attracted here by 
having seen some of these letters. 

But it was not b^^ such as these that Winchester was 
most esteemed. It was said and believed that he could 
have obtained any position from President Jackson that 
he desired; and had he been placed in the cabinet, would 
certainly have proved a great credit to his administra- 
tion, compared with some that were of that body. 

DAVID CROCKETT. 

The name of David Crockett might be brought in 
here, and greatly to Winchester's credit; but I am anx- 
ious to get through. It might seem that Winchester 
should have been a happy man, instead of which he was, 
perhaps, the most miserable; and this part of my story 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 73 

I had intended to omit, but I have been compelled to 
make some allusions to it, which, unexplained, might 
make things look worse than the^^ really were, 

COLONEL THOMAS H. BENTON, 

who afterward distinguished himself as the veteran 
United States Senator from Missouri, and who com- 
manded a regiment under Jackson at New Orleans, 
brought with him on his return a beautiful French quad- 
roon girl, with whom he lived some two or three j^ears, 
when, in view, perhaps, of his future greatness, he con- 
cluded to turn her adrift and get married. He did so, 
but not without providing liberally for her, giving her 
property and money, which was placed in Winchester's 
hands for safe-keeping. This brought those attractive 
persons together, and the consequence was a great error; 
but Winchester could not think of remedying it in the 
way Benton had done. He concluded to pursue the op- 
posite course, and therefore took " Mary " to Louisiana, 
where the laws permitted intermarriage of the races, and 
there formally married her. If Winchester thought that 
this act would modify the asperity of popular feeling 
against him he was greatly mistaken, for it increased in 
virulency ten-fold. White men living with colored wo- 
men was, I am sorry to say, quite common at that day. 
My old friend, 'Squire Isaac Rawlings, was not foultness, 
and it never set him back in the least with the very set 
who were most bitter against Winchester; but there was 
a difference — Rawlings' housekeeper was slave-born, and 
remained so, while Winchester's was born free, well 
raised, and accomplished. Besides, Rawlings did not 
marr3^ Poor Mary tried, by acts of charity, liberal do- 
nations to religious purposes, exemplary and unobtrusive 
deportment, and all other conceivable means, to allay the 



74 fllSTOKY OB^ MEMPHIS. 

intense hatred, but it onl}^ had the etleot to inerease, if 
possible, its vindictiveness. 

THE GAMBLERS. 

The feeling against Winehester first originated with a 
set of vicious persons, or more directl}^ speaking, thieves 
and gamblers, whose headquarters were at the Bell Tav- 
ern, and who virtually ruled the countr}^ up to July, 1835, 
when five of them were hung by the outraged citizens of 
Vicksburg. After this they were driven from ever}^ town 
in the Mississippi valle3\ But prior to that date they 
were permitted to obtrude themselves into some of the 
best families, simpl}" because it was dangerous to slight 
them. Jjy deep-laid and ingenious devices they managed 
to swindle the poor country people, who came to town, 
out of their mone}'. The most efficient means that the 
country people had of guarding against those sharpers 
was to deposit their money with Winchester or Rawlings, 
both of whom took particular pains to defeat the gentry 
by frustrating their schemes for making a living. Raw- 
lings, who prided himself on hjs fearlessness, did not 
hesitate to tell them that they ought to be tied up and 
flogged, and with all his love of law, no doubt often 
wished for the good old daj's when he ordered such to 
receive thirty-nine on their bare backs for offenses which, 
at that later da}^ they practiced with impunity. But 
Winchester was such a mild, pleasant man that he would 
not hurt the feelings even of a thief by a harsh word. 
They attributed his mildness to timidity, or, as they 
would express it, cowardice, which always invites attack. 
Winchester's family relations being his only assailable 
point, they readily availed themselves of it, and only with 
too much success. 

murkell's reign. 

There was also a band of thieves and desperadoes ex- 



THK OLD TlMi-'S PAPEKs. 75 

tending over several of the Southern States, known 
afterwards as the " Murrell clan." Their general ren- 
dezvous was a short distance above here in Arkansas, but 
several prominent members lived here. One charac- 
teristic of this gang was their frequent absence from 
home without any one, even their families, being able to 
tell where the}^ had gone, or how long the}' would be ab- 
sent. The full history of this clan has been published 
by Virgil A. Stewart, and although, I might add a few in- 
cidents, I shall content myself with saying that I believe 
they would have made this point one of their bases of 
operation had it not been for Winchester, whose ready 
capacity for detecting counterfeit money, in which the^' 
dealt extensiveh', rendered it venturable for that purpose. 
The}' were too shrewd to attack him on that point, but 
their virtuous indignation knew no bounds at the out- 
rage he was perpetrating on societ}', hoping no doubt 
to destroy his influence or cause him to leave Memphis. 

GENERAL GAIXES AND WINCHESTER. 

From this source the slanders spread, until the whole 
community seemed, with a few^ exceptions, infected, and 
Winchester found himself shunned and avoided by men 
indebted to him for various favors. About this time 
Maj. Gen. E. P. Gaines established the headquarters of 
the Western Division of the United States Army at this 
place, and never was there a greater accession to any 
town, for had he been properly aided, he would have set 
Memphis full twenty years ahead, and given her a start 
over any other city of the Mississippi Valley. He secured 
the location of the military road across Arkansas, the 
establishment of the arsenal, and was the first to sug- 
gest this point for a naval depot and dock-yard; and also 
a system of railroads very similar to thut now almost per- 



76 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

fectecl. He was one of the few who disregarded the 
prejudice advanced against Winchester, which was 
very unfortunate for his plans. He visited him every 
dAy, carrying his maps and papers, remaining for hours, 
and giving color to the report that Winchester was the 
real planner, and Gaines the instrument to carry them 
out, which of course was not true; but had these men 
been let alone, everything asked for of the Government 
would have been granted. Winchester's influence with 
the administration w^asapower in itself, and when urged 
as a military necessity b}^ Gen. Gaines, to say nothing 
of Jackson's individual interest and State pride, their 
success was beyond a doubt. But the rabble willed it 
otherwise, and Gaines, finding himself a butt for ridicule, 
even with those who should have had better sense, be- 
came disgusted and abandoned his schemes of public 
good. 

STUPID PEOPLE. 

The enemies of Winchester, having gained further 
triumphs, instead of abating in their enmity seemed to 
have become more bitter. It became dangerous for him 
to venture into public, which he rarely did without 
pressing occasion. He was several times wantonly in- 
sulted. Demagogues vied with each other in vindictive 
epithets, with the hope of extorting the louder shouts of 
the mob, and when a few j^ears later the great difficulty 
arose which brought about the fatal duel between Gholson 
and Jackson, and a regulating company was organized, it 
was all a few of us could do to prevent them from 
notifying Winchester, among others, to leave. But his 
greatest source of trouble, no doubt, was the future of his 
children. I never knew any of them except Owen, his 
oldest son, who was certainly the sprightliest boy I ever 
saw. At the age of ten j^ears, being very much 



THE OLD TIMES PAPEliS. 77 

attached to we, he would frequently come, sit and read 
the newspaper and make his comments in a manner that 
would have been creditable to a man of mature years. 
At twelve he was acknowledged to be the most expert 
cotton weigher and marker on the bluff, and was withal 
very handsome and witty, and seemed to have fully 
inherited all the remarkable talents of his father. In- 
curable and irremediable prejudices against these 
children existed, north and south. There was a slight 
copper tinge that embrowned the brow of the fairest, 
and this was, socially fatal. Can it be wondered then, 
that the unhappy father rushed into intemperance to 
drown the horrid thought, or perhaps hope that by the 
association of the most degraded to familiarize himself 
and children with that condition in life to which they 
seemed inevitably destined. It had one good effect, 
however, which led to others. It proved the first pop- 
ular step he had ever taken with the mob, who now 
became his greatest admirers. He next took a stej) 
which was thought by man}^ to be a ver}^ great impru- 
dence, but which proved, in the end, to his advantage. 
He became a candidate for the Legislature and was 
triumphantly elected, though his party was in the 
minority, and to the credit of his opponents, be it said, 
no allusion was ever made to his family or anything else 
personally offensive; but, on the contrary, they treated 
him with the greatest kindiiess, while quite a number 
voted for him. His opponents were old Whigs, and 
gentlemen. 

Thus having brought my story within the recollection 
of many better acquainted with the subject, and far more 
able to complete it, if they think proper to do so, — in their 
hands I leave it, with the sincere hope that posterity 
will render to the memory of Major Macus B. Winches- 



78 . HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

ter that justice which, during his life, he was so shame- 
fully denied. The one great error of life, for which he 
suffered so intense^, it should be remembered, was 
committed at a time when there was virtually no society 
here, and should, therefore, be looked upon with all due 
allowance and charity. 



The following flattering notices appeared in the 
(tohimns of the Appeal. The first during the progress 
of the preceding story, and the other at its conclusion : 

" We publish this morning a series of sketches written 
by a gray-haired old man, whose form and face and voice 
have been familiar to the citizens of Memphis through 
forty years past. He appears as a chronicler of events 
forgotten by nearly all the living, and unrecorded by 
those who have died. Interesting beyond measure is 
the simple recital of facts, and let us say that even 
Sterne, the divinest master of pure English, never wrote 
a more admirable and touching recital in more faultless 
language than that employed in telling of the death of 
Isaac Rawlings. It is a masterpiece of simple elegance. 
Read and improve it who can. It is matchless because 
it rises superior to all art." 



" In another place we publish an inimitable story, 
written by one of the oldest citizens of Memphis. The 
narrative is distinguished by its naive simplicity and 
truthfulness. It tells of facts of which every old citizen 



THK OLD TIMES PAPERS. 79 

was cognizant, and of prejudices that lost their force 
long before Major Winchester died. He came here 
before a social system existed, and when people's prej- 
udices against Creoles were incorrigible. It was in 
1851 or '52 that Major Winchester, for the last time, 
appeared before the people. A staunch Democrat, he 
defeated for the Legislature in this county, in which the 
Whig party was dominant, a gentleman as courtly and 
polished, and as worthy a citizen as himself. This 
competitor of Major Winchester was Col. John Pope. 
There was never a member of any community more 
esteemed while he lived, or more honored at his death, 
than Major Marcus B. Winchester, the most graceful, 
(^ourtl}^ elegant gentleman that ever appeared upon 
Main street, and the ' dress proclaimed the man.' " 



80 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 



AN ADDITIONAL STORY OF RAWLING8 AND 
WINCHESTER. 



[ The following contribution to the Memphis Appeal, 
written by my old friend Mr. Jos. J. Rawlings, a near 
relative of old Ike's, by special request I am permitted 
to insert in this work:] 

" Editors Appeal. — I have noticed in 3^our valuable 
paper a contribution from a correspondent signing him- 
self "Old Times." I. am gratified to know that there 
are still living some who have such a vivid recollection 
of times gone by. Some can recollect one thing and 
some another. Perhaps many incidents have come under 
my observation that have escaped that of " Old Times." 
However, we agree in making Isaac Rawlings and 
Marcus B. Winchester the heroes of early days, very 
justly so, too. They were both talented business men, 
high minded in all their dealings, and it would not be 
amiss to say that, in all the combinatioms of a business 
character, they w^ere not surpassed, if Equaled, by any 
business men on the BluflT at the present day. They had 
their faults, as other men have, but when the condition 
of society here, in their time, is taken into consideration, 
they will be entitled to a good deal of charity from a 
generous public. 

A unique election.- 

Your correspondent alluded to the election of^delegates 

to the Convention for a change in the State Constitution 

in 1836. He omitted the name of one very important 

candidate, that of Major Hannum. The candidates were 



THE OLD TIMJ:S PAPERS. 81 

Colonel Ward, Isaac Rawlings, Adam R. Alexander, 
Charles Stewart and Major Hanniim. Charles vStewart 
was the Abolition candidate, and received but a few 
votes. Colonel Ward and Isaac Rawlings were both 
very able men, and made logical and instructive speeches. 
They attracted large audiences that followed them about 
from one appointment to another. I partook of the 
excitement and rode round with them to hearthdir mao-- 

o 

nificent arguments. Alexander was not much of a 
speaker, but an indefatigable electioneerer. While Col. 
Ward and Isaac Rawlings were entertaining large crowds 
with their matchless eloquence, Adam was slipping 
through the throng shaking hands with the men, saj'ing 
a soft word to the women and tickling the children with 
candy. It had its effect, and Adam R. Alexander was 
elected b^^ a small majoritj'. It chagrined Colonel Ward 
ver}^ much, and he threatened to contest the election, but 
old Ike bitterly opposed it. 

Major Ilannum made speeches too. lie canvassed the 
county with the other candidates whenever he could get 
a horse to ride. He aiwaj^s expressed great confidence 
in his own election. The encouragement he met with in 
every section was beyond doubt. The promises of influ- 
ential men were secured, and he did not see how it was 
possible he could be beaten. But, alas, for human cal- 
culation, when the votes were counted out, to his great 
astonishment, he had not received a single vote. It was 
thought at that time to be an unprecedented thing in 
elections — an occurrence of the kind had never been 
known before — for a man to canvass the count}^ over and 
not get a vote. The other candidates laughed mightily 
at the circumstance. By way of retort, Hannum told 
them that he had undoubted evidence that he did not 
v')te for himself, which thev had not. 



S2 HKSTOJn OF MEMPHIS. 



HARD CASES. 



Your correspondent alluded to certain wild young men 
that were here at an early day, who were given much to 
practicing jokes whenever an opportunity offered, and 
instances a joke played off on old man Ike. I was well 
acquainted with half a dozen such bo3's, (useless to men- 
tion names), who thought it a crying shame to miss a 
good joke when an opportunity offered, it mattered not 
to them at whose cost — whether General Jackson, Judge 
Overton or Isaac EawMugs. (Tlie two t'ormei- used T(i 
visit us occasionally.) 

Old man Ike had, among his valuables, a large liquor 
case that he used to prize very highly, lie kept it well 
stored with the best of brandy, gin, whisk}', and all 
kinds of wine. On one occasion he had it replenished 
with the best of liquors from New Orleans. A few days 
after he left for Baltimore. The facts were soon noised 
about among the boys, who thought it a veiy imprudent 
act for him to lill up his liquor case and then leave, and 
that he ought to be taught better. The opportunity was 
too good to be lost. A delegation was sent to inspect 
the liquor case. The village was scraped for all sorts, 
sizes and descriptions of keys. None would unlock the 
magic case. Finally', says one mechanical genius: '' 1 
can draw that hasp." A chisel was soon brought into 
requisition; the hasp was drawn; the lid raised, and the 
voluptuous bottles, with their contents, perfectly devel- 
oped. It was the means of several first- class frolics. 
The boys were all sworn to secrecy, and the joke was too 
good, of course, ever to be mentioned. When tlie bottles 
were emptied, they were all put back in their places, and 
the hasp carefully replaced by tlie same mechanical 



I 






THE OLD TIMES TAPEKS. 83 

When old inaii Ike cams back, he was several days 
inspecting his goods, books and accounts, cash, etc. He 
finally got round to the liquor case. He put his hand in 
his pocket, took out the key and unlocked it. With a 
mournful looking countenance, he exclaimed, " How 
egregiously a man can be mistaken in his own mind. 1 
would liaA'C sworn that when I left every bottle was full; 
how mistaken I was, for there is not a drop in one of 
them." He was heard to ask several friends privately, 
on two or three occasions during the following week, 
whether they had observed an}^ evidence in his conduct 
that his memory, or other faculties, were failing? It was 
onlj' the bottles, and not his head, that were empty. 

FANNY WRIGHT AND ROBERT DALE OWEN. 

In 1826 or '27, Fannie Wright and Robert Dale Owcl 
came down here to remodel society. The}' found a 
strong ally in Winchester, who was alwa3^s ready to 
catch at passing " isms." From his popularity, they 
felt confident of success, but their ideas were novel, and 
did not take with the barbarians. They were both 
abolitionists, and thought freeing a few negroes would 
be a great accomplishment. Their ])lan was to buy a 
piece of land, then bu}^ a few negroes, and, when the 
negroes paid for themselves by their labor, to set them 
free and hvy more. They bought land on Wolf river, 
near Germantown, and called the place Nashobah, which 
in the Chickasaw language means wolf. The first 
purchase of negroes never paid for themselves, so that 
scheme fell to the ground. 

Fannie had some peculiar notions. She was opposed 
to matrimony. She objected to people getting married; 
she thought, like the Woodhull-Chaflin sort, that men 
and women should be allowed to take up with each 



84 HISTORY OF MEMPULS. 

other, live together us long as they pleased, and quit 
when they pleased. 

Camille Wright, Fannie's sister, and a much prettier 
woman, was loth to believe in any such doctrine. She 
thought it best to marry, should an opportunity offer. 
She accepted the first chance, and married, in spite of 
Fannie's opposition. She reported favorably upon the 
situation; advised Fannie to go and do likewise; she 
knew she would like it. Fannie was finally over-per- 
suaded, and she married too, much to her own grat- 
ification and Owen's disgust. 

Fannie Wright was a tall, masculine-looking woman, 
with a coarse voice like a man. I once heard her lecture 
against the Bible, which no man would have undertaken 
in those daj^s. She was quite fluent and eloquent. She 
selected (as she thought) ver3' strong points, and 
-enforced them with great zeal, as if it came from the 
bottom of her heart. She thought she had demolished 
the Book, and torn it all to pieces. 

PEN PORTKAITS. 

When I first became acquainted with Winchester, I 
thought him the handsomest man I ever saw. In ad- 
tion to his fine appearance, his manners were those of a 
Chesterfield. He was preposessing and popular. In 
politics he was a strong Democrat; in religion he was 
skeptical, and might be called a non-believer — he never 
attended church. Isaac Rawlings was low in statue — 
nothing prepossessing about him. He had an imped- 
iment in his speech, but a fine head and a ver}^ intel- 
lectual countenance. He was as strong an old line 
Whig as Winchester was a Democrat. They were good 
friends; had frequent political controversies, but it 
never interrupted their kind personal relations. Unlike 



Tin: OI,I> TIMES PAPKKS. 85- 

Winchester, the ohi man was veiy piously inclined — a 
thorough Episcopalian iii sentiment. Old Parson Wright 
preached the first Episcopal sermon ever delivered in 
^lemphis, and established' the first Episcopalian church. 
Isaac Rawlings took a great interest in it, contributed 
liberally to its support, and attended divine service at his 
church whenever liis rheumatics would admit. His 
funeral sermon was preached b}^ the Rev. Philip Alston, 
and this was the last of Isaac Rawlinos. 



86 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 



UNCLE BILLY YATES. 



HOW A YERY PERT YOUNG WOMAN" GOT HER FK^JUREHEAD 

PAINTED FEARFUL REVENGE ADMINISTERING THE 

CONDIGN GETTING RELIGION AND ITS EFFECTS. 

Among the earh' settlers of this bluff was a Mr. Wil- 
liam Yates, a peculiar but much better man than he had 
general credit for being. He was very unpopular, espe- 
ciall}' with those most indebted to him for favors. No- 
body cursed him louder than those who owed him 
borrowed mone}^ though he was less exacting and his 
rates generall}^ more liberal than others engaged in 
the same business. He never was known to get out of 
liumor with any one, no matter how badh^ they treated 
him. He was large and portly, weighing upwards of two 
hundred and fortj" pounds, and of extraordinary strength. 
When the early sale of lots took place, all south of Win- 
chester street was considered residence property. The 
bluff was. then cut up with deep gullies and hollows. 
Lots lying on these were thought worthless, and Yates 
bought them at his own price, which you maj^ guess was 
low enough. In after years, when the streets came to 
be graded, the elevated portions, which had commanded 
the highest prices, had to be cut down to the grade of 
the street ou which they fronted, and their owners were 
glad to find convenient places to deposit surplus earth. 
Yates' gullies, therefore, were in great demand; and to 
his credit be it said, he never charged for the privilege 
of filling them, provided it was done in a proper manner. 
The difficultv was he did not have Sfnllies enouoh lo fill. 



THE OI.I) TIMK8 TAPEKS. 



87 



'•Old Billy," as we always called him, like Mrs. Toodles, 
was a great hand at buying cheap things; and when ho 
died, which was at the age of upward of eighty years, 
iiad several wagon loads of worthless rubbish, which he 
■lad purchased in that way, still on hand. 

UNCLE billy's WOEST ENEMY. 

Among those that cursed him long and loud were his 
tenantry. He built such miserable shanties that no per- 
son able to pay rent would occupy them. The conse- 
(juence v/as he collected none. But this was not all: 
those who became his tenants were so wretchedly poor 
that he v/as obliged to feed them. This, however, was 
like lilling his gullies— more a lavor to the giver than 
the receiver— for he i)urchased large quantities of dam- 
aged provisions, and but for the aid of these creatures 
two-thirds of it might have spoiled on his hands. His 
impecunious tenants, however, always considered them- 
selves outrageously treated because he did not luiild 
better houses and furnish better food. 

SOMEWHAT rEKSOXAL. 

Quite a number of amusing anecdotes might be told 
of Old Billy Yates, but one or two will suffice for the 
present. Among his tenantry was a worthless old fellow 
hy the name of Brown, who had recently married a young 
wife, rather a fast woman, and not more prudent and 
circumspect than she should have been. Yates had also 
married a young wife, and a most estimable woman she 
»vas. Mrs. Yates, soon after she was brought home, was 
^aken ill, or so reported. Mrs. Brown communicated the 
fact to several of the more respectable ladies of the 
neighborhood with whom she was desirous of ingratiating 
lierself. They readily agreed to call on Mrs. Yates. On 
•ivrivinir thev found thnt lady better tlian she had been 



88 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

represented. They also found Old Billy in a line humor. 
Mrs. Brown, considering herself the leader of the delega- 
tion, put on many pert airs, particularly with Bill}^, which 
she might have seen did not take well. He brought out 
a handful of flour, as a sample of a lot he had just bought, 
remarkably good, as he contended, for the price, and 
after exhibiting it to the ladies, was in the act of treating 
himself to a smell, when Mrs. B., striking up his hand, 
threw the flour full in his face, to which a large portion 
adhered. Yates immediately threw his left arm around 
her body, pinioning her arms fast to her sides. Holding 
her in this manner, he lifted her up to the dinner table, 
on which stood a dish of pure grease. Into this he ran his 
hand and thoroughly smeared it with the contents. From 
the table he "toted" her to the fire-place, where he 
thrust his hand, reeking with grease, up the chimney, 
and collected as much soot as he could scrape together 
or would adhere to his fingers. Thus prepared, he pro- 
ceeded to blacken Mrs. B.'s face. She kicked and 
squealed powerfully, but was as helpless as an infant. 
The ladies interceded and begged hard for her, but old 
Billy was inexorable, and holding her in his vice-like 
grasp, he applied a coat of soot and grease, not only to 
her face, but to her neck and bosom, making quite n 
comely negress. 

When turned loose, she cried, stamped and showed 
fight, but Yates caught her hands and held her. 

" You would not have served these ladies so," she said. 

"No, indeed," said he, " nor would they have acted as 
you have. I hope this will be a lesson to you, and teach 
you not to play such tricks on a man old enough to be 
your father." 

Mrs. Yates ordered soap and water, but Yates coun- 
termanded it, saying he was not particular about wash- 



THK OLD TIMKS rAI'KUS. 89 

ing his tiice, which was certainly true, and such a pair 
of spectacles was perhaps never before witnessed as the 
two who stood facing each otlier; he, with tlie flour a 
quarter of an inch thick on his face, in places, while she, 
having endeavored to scratch tlie black otl* liers, onl^' 
made it look the worse. She poured forth streams of 
abuse, which it is not necessary to repeat. He proposed 
to make friends, but she only spat at him. He tried to> 
reason the case, but she was lost to reason. He tinall}^ 
released her and she cut for home, a distance of two 
hundred and fifty yards, as fast as her legs could carry 
her — failing to make a single call on her way. 

Then Yates, perhaps for the first time in his life, 
indulged in a heart}' laugh, in which the ladies, despite 
their fright, found it impossible to avoid joining. He 
made a becoming apology, telling them that that woman 
was no fit associate for them, a fact that they W'ere al- 
ready aware of, and that his reason for not suifering her 
to wash was only to get rid of her. The ladies left, and 
no sooner were in one of their own rooms than they 
laughed until theii' sides ached. 

TKUK THLE YENGEAXCK. 

Mrs. Brown, however, was detenniHed on revenge- 
Next day she went to a man by the name of Guthridge, 
who lived hard b}'' on Exchange street, and told him a 
lot of stuff that Yates said about him. Guthridge, a 
credulous fellow, who did not have more sense than the 
law allowed, believed it all, and hurrying liome, armed 
himself with a heav}' ax-helve and went down to the 
bayou, on Poplar street, w^here Yates was engaged with 
some twenty negroes, building his peculiar kind of 
houses. He was standidg close on the bank issuing his 
orders at the top of his voice, as usual. " Harry." he 



■90 HISTORY OF MLMl'IUS. 

shouted, "3'ou are not setting that post straight,*' " Jane, 
you and Ellen go and help Sam pile up them boards." 
"John, 3^ou laz}^ rascal, if you don't go to work I'll take 
the cowhide." Here he was suddenly interrupted by a 
heavy blow from behind, across the side of his head, 
turning him heels uppermost into the bayou. It hap- 
pened to be a deep hole, and Billy was completel}^ sub- 
merged. Guthridge dropped his ax-helve and ran for 
life; but Yates got his head above water in time to see him 
and order his capture b}' the negroes. They seized and 
took him back, and there held liim until the other 
negroes got their master out of the bayou, which proved 
no easy job. The old fellow then sat down and rested, 
while " Guth.," as he was called for short, having found 
escape hopeless, betook himself to hard begging, a kind 
of argument which Yates was strong proof against. 
When sufficiently rested, Yates seized Guth. by the nape 
of the neck and threw him across his knee, and taking 
his cowhide he everlastingly scored him; at least, Guth. 
thought he never was going to stop. He yelled murder 
loud enough for everybody in town to hear him, and 
many of them did, but they thought that Yates was 
only whipping one of his negroes, a very common thing, 
and paid no attention to it. Yates had Poplar street 
fenced in at that time, from hill to hill, so that there 
was no one passing, and no danger of being interrupted. 
But all things have to have and end, and so did poor 
Guth.'s flogging. At last it took a respite, for Yates was 
fortunately short winded, during which he questioned 
the culprit as to the reason of his rash act, and learned 
that Mrs. Brown had told him that he (Yates) had 
accused him (Guth.) as a liar, thief, rascal, etc., and had 
threatened to cowhide him. 

"Why," said Yates, "it's strange she came so near 



THE OLD TIMES PAPEKS. 91 

the truth in oue particular, and I must make her words 
good in that at least; " so, chucking poor Guth's. head 
ilown again, he reapplied the lash, and Guth. renewed the 
cry of murder, but with no better effect. When, how- 
ever, his cries became faint, his kicks feeble, and Yates 
again fatigued, the whipping came finall}' to an end. 
Vates after another rest, during. which Guth., according 
to promise, kept quiet, said — 

''Come, sir, we will now pay our respects to our 
mutual friend, Mrs. Brown," so picking up the ax- 
ilielre. and still holding on to " Guths'. arm, walked 
him up to that lady's domicil, and on calling her she 
•came to the door, and there beheld an awful sight — 
Yates covered with mud, |)lood and filth, no hat (that 
.article being planted so fast at the bottom of the bayou 
that it has never been recovered to this day), and Guth- 
ridge quivering in every muscle and trembling in every 
limb, his countenance indicating the intense agony to 
•which he had so lately been subjected. 

"Well," said Yates, addressing Mrs B., -'you have 
•done it. A bad woman can always set men to fighting. 
You tried to make this poor fool kill me, did you? But 
1 wliipped him for it until he was satisfied, didn't I? " 
lie shouted to Guth., giving him a shake at the same 
time. 

"I was satisfied before you struck me at all, and I 
told you so," said Guth., giving his nose a wipe and 
drawing his sleeve across his upper lip. 

"Yes, but I wasn't," said Yates; "and I al'.vays like 
to have both parties satisfied." 

By this time Mrs. Brown, having recovered from her 
sliock, for she had not supposed her dupe would have 
.acted so hastily, let her tongue run upon jMr. Yates, who 



92 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

feeling that he was ah-ea:ly sufficiently besmeared, did 
not wait to hear it. 

" Come," said he to his prisonei-, ''I'll take you to 
3'our wife now." 

" I wish he had killed you, so I do! " screamed Mrs. 
Brown. 

'' No doubt of it," answered Yates. 

By this time the whole neighborhood was aroused, and 
quite a crowd collected. On arriving at his house they 
found Mrs. G. at the door. 

"Well, Mrs. Guthridge," said Yates, "don't you think 
that devilish woman," pointing with the ax-helve to Mrs. 
B., whose tongue was still running, " tried to make yoiw 
liusba,nd kill me with this ax-helve? and he nearly did it, 
and I had to whip him for it good, did n't I?" addressing 
Guth., and giving him another shake. 

" You whipped me mighty bad, so j-ou did," whined 
Guth.; "you whipped me worse than a nigger, and 3'ou 
know it, curse you I " he added, giving his head a side 
nod and his nose another wipe, at the same time endeav- 
oring to show something of courage and resentment be- 
fore the crowd, knowing that Yates did not mind curses. 

"Yes," shouted Yates, "and if you ever do the like 
again I'll whip you worse," flourishing the ax-helve to the 
horror of all. 

The women screamed, while poor Guth., in terror, ex- 
claimed : 

"Oh, I'll never do it again! I'll never do it again!'* 
(and he never did). 

" Now, Mrs. Guthridge, take him," said Yates, releas- 
ing Guth.'s arm for the first time in about two hours — ■ 
Yates never was in a hurry about anything, and always 
spoke very slowly, but terribly loud — "and take good 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 93 

'care of him ; lie is not much hurt. It will do him a sight 
of good, and teach him better sense next time. As for 
this ax-handle, I have won it in a fair fight, and I will 
take it home with me. It has done me right smart harm, 
and I'll see if I can't make it do me some good; though 
I don't think Guthridge would liurt anybody with it 
again soon." 

Guth. slunk into the house as quickly as possible, 
while Yates strode otf with his prize, to meet his young 
wife, in that terrible plight, leaving Mrs. Guthridge, who 
was a very nice woman, perfectly dumbfounded, having 
evinced only signs of fear and terror during the inter- 
view\ 

Mrs. Brown now found herself cut by all her neigh- 
bors; the most humble refused to receive, much less to 
return, her visits. This was a severe blow to her, as she 
was a great gad-about, and she immediately commenced 
looking around in hopes of discovering some means of 
recovering her lost position. She fancied she saw a 
chance in a great revival of religion, which was then at 
;its hight, and immediately became a convert — making 
more powerful demonstrations than all others, both in 
yelling and jumping. She proclaimed herself the chief 
of sinners. This she repeated so often that it seemed to 
be generally believed — at least, no one disputed it. 

Between twelve o'clock and daylight she was carried 
home, still screaming and shouting to such an extent 
that she alarmed the whole country around. Even old 
Yates, whom thunderstorms and tornadoes seldom dis- 
turbed — from the fact that he outsnored third-rate thun- 
der — was awakened from his slumbers, and, on going to 
the window, bellowed out to know what was the matter. 
When told that Mv^. Brown liad got religion, he ex- 
claimed: 9 



^4 HISTORY OK MEMPHI^l. 

" Let her die! let her die quick, or she will lose it uH 
in a week's time, and the devil will get her yet.". 

This was thought ver}^ heartless, particular]37 as tlie 
poor woman screamed herself into a high fever and well 
nigh died. 

Guth. got religion, also, but as he had not recovered 
his voice sufficiently to shout, and was too sore to jump, 
he therefore stood it firstrate. He declared that he not 
only forgave all his enemies, but actually loved them; 
and in proof of which he hugged Mrs. Brown. But it 
seemed that he made a reservation in regard to Yates, or 
at least, his money, as bright visions of w^ealth loomed 
up in his mind, in the shape of damages, whicli for a 
time, if not forever, eclipsed all his religion. He con- 
sulted a lawyer, who was as anxious as Guth. to handle 
some of Yates' surplus cash, (for report said he had it 
by bushels), who, upon examining his subject from neck 
to heels, pronounced it one of the most thoroughly 
MARKED cases of assault and battery, with cruel intent,, 
he had ever taken hold of. On farther investigation the 
idea occurred to him that Yates rwlght possibl}' be mean 
enough to bring in a broken head, a blood}' and murderous 
ax-helve, a mud ducking and a lost hat, as an offset, and 
spoil their amiable speculations, — which caused the law- 
yer first to ponder, next to think better of it, and finally 
to recommend its total abandonment, and poor Guth. was 
under the painful necessity of going to work as usual. 
What finally became of him the writer cannot say. 

Old Billy Yates lived some twenty-two 3'ears after 
this, but he carried Guthridge's mark to his grave. I 
helped to lay him out, and observed the scar on the head 
of the corpse while doing so. 

But this was not the only scar that disfigured the 
corjie of Uncle Billy Yates. He had an ugly one in the 



THE OLD TIMKS PAPEKS. 95 

left cheek, that he received in this way: Some two or 
three years after the Brown and Giithridge affair, he 
was met in the street by old Billy Persons, who lived 
down on Nonconnah creek, who informed him, in an 
angry manner, that his cattle were on his land, and that 
he was going to shoot them. 

"Don't do that," said Yates, "and I will scnrl down 
and haA-e them driven home." 

"No," said Persons, "if j'ou send your d d thiev- 
ing niggers on m^' land I'll shoot them!" (Yates' ne- 
groes wert^ under a bad character for honest}^, but no 
worse than Persons') " and if 3^ou come 3'ourself," con- 
tinued Persons, " Pll shoot 3'ou!" 

"What will that be for?" calmly asked Yates. 

"Because 3'ou are a rascal! " said Persons, and at the 
same time plunged a large butcher's knife, which he had 
concealed in his sleeve, into Yates' cheek. 

The knife passed between the jaws and almost cut the 
old fellow's tongue off. Yates threw his left arm back 
in an underhanded manner, caught Persons around the 
body, swung him off his feet, and threw him across his 
left knee, bell}^ upward, dropping at the same time on 
his right, and there held him powerless while he care- 
lully drew the knife from his cheek and raised it in the 
air. But his motions were too slow. Mr. Henr^' McAl- 
len, one of our earliest merchants, rushed up behind and 
caught the uplifted arm, and with the aid of others, 
wrenched the knife irom Yates' grip, and thereby rescued 
Persons from what otherwise w^ould have been certain, 
and, perhaps, merited death. 



'96 IHSTOKY OF MKMPHIS. 



THE FIRST SEA EIGHT AT MEMPHIS— THE 
ELATBOAT WAR. 



TFliRIBLE RETKUiUTION. 

In early times most of the products of the Western 
and Southern States was brought down the river in flat- 
boats, which frequent!}^ came in fleets, particularly from 
the smaller rivers, which were only navigable during a 
freshet. These boats were generally built, freighted and 
manned by the same persons who raised the crops with 
wMch they were loaded, and who, at home, were good, 
moral citizens, and not unfrequently strict church mem- 
bers, some of them deacons, class-leaders, exhorters, and 
even rough preachers, who, perhaps, thought religion too 
sacred a thing to take on board a flatboat, particularly 
as they were going among a set of barbarians, as ihc}- 
considered the settlers on the Mississippi to be; and it 
was b}^ no means uncommon for those who displa3'ed 
the most religion at home to be the greatest rowdies 
abroad. The trip was looked upon as a frolic, and that 
it was their privilege, and perhaps their dut}', to clean 
out and regulate the little towns along the river, particu- 
larly those that had the audacitj^ to charge wharfage, 
which they held to be not only a great outrage, but, as 
they expressed it, "onconstitutional," and therefore de- 
termined to resist it to the last extremity. The conse- 
quence was that all attempts to raise a revenue from 
that source at any point above New Orlearns proved a 
failure, so far as flatboats were concerned. Memphis 
tried it for some eight or ten ypars, but the amount ob- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 97 

tained would not pa}^ the trouble of its collection. One 
great difficulty seemed to be to get the right kind of a 
man to undertake it. I have seen the wharfmaster 
streaking it up the hill, with a dozen or more fellows 
after him, lashing the ground at his heels with long cane 
polls, and from the way he wriggled, occasionally, it was 
evident that some of the licks took effect. Similar scenes 
occurred frequentl3\ Sometimes they would get him 
in the cabin, under pretense of paying him; then shove 
off and land him on President's Island. But it was not 
the wharfmaster alone who fared badly. Some of our 
best citizens were shamefull}^ assaulted and abused b}- 
brutal boatmen. Finall}^ in 1841, a reform board of 
Mayor and Aldermen, as they were termed, were elected, 
with Wm. Spickernagie as Mayor. One of his first re- 
formations was to get the right kind of men for officers, 
and when such did not present themselves they were 
hunted up, and large salaries offered them, with a veiw 
of making the offices respectable and securing their 
faithful administration. It was not the wharfmaster 
alone, however, who failed in his duties, for there was 
not an officer, from Mayor down, who had not become 
almost contemptible in the eyes of the people; and as 
for the laws, they received but little attention. " Old 
Speck," as he was commonly called, swore that such 
things had to stop or somebody would get hurt, and the 
determined manner in which he went about it, proved 
that he meant what he said. Two volunteer military 
companies, known as the Guards and the Blues, were 
encouraged to organize and equip, which was no sooner 
done than they tendered their services to the Mayor, to 
aid in the enforcement of the laws. They were composed 
of ardent young men— only a little too anxious to prove 
their courasre. 



98 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

THE THREE TOWNS. 

It may be proper to give some history of this Bluff at 
that time. It was divided into tliree corporations, or 
rival towns, known as Memphis, South Memphis, and 
Fort Pickering. The two latter seemed to think that 
their only hope of success was in the overthrow of Mem- 
phis, or at least the northern part of it. Unfortunate^ 
for Memphis, she was divided against herself, from Pop- 
lar street down. The flatboat landing extended from 
the mouth of Wolf river to the foot of Adams street, 
and was the general market, not only for the bluff, but 
for all the surrounding country, and a great pity it had 
not so continued, for then provisions could be purchased 
at a fair price. Combinations succeeded in breaking 
up that market and rendering Memphis the dearest 
market place in the United States for a poor man to live 
and support a family. The removal of the flatboat land- 
ing below Union street became a great object with the 
two lower towns, believing that whenever that was effect- 
ed all other kinds of business would center there. 
Emissaries went among the flatboat men daily, urging 
them to drop down to where they should have a free 
landing forever, and perhaps more bitter and vindictive 
feeling never existed between two sections than was 
witnessed on this bluff at that time. 

A FATAL BLUNDER. 

But the South committed oneof her peculiar blunders, 
and set her pegs too far south, declaring that "Pinch" 
extended to Adams street, and refusing to affiliate with 
anything north of that line. The consequence was that 
"Pinch" triumphed; but, as I intend writing the history 
of that classic region, with all its varying fortunes, I 
must not encroach upon it here, particular!}^ as I find 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 99 

myself running into one of my peculiar errors, and 
making my story too long. 

Such was the state of affairs, and such the relations of 
boatmen and citizens, when this "reform board" went 
into office — and I will venture to say that no board, 
before or since, has done as much for the welfare of 
Memphis — to sa}^ nothing of the trying circumstances 
under which they were placed. Any one familiar with 
the history of Memphis for the last thirty-five years 
must know that 1841 was the date at which her real 
prosperity commenced. In their selection of wharf- 
master, they were impressed with the idea that hard 
fighting would be required, and having settled upon a 
man whom they thought possessed that qualifiication, 
they went to him and offered him twenty -five per cent. 
on all collections, promising to stand up to him. He went 
in and made a good thing of it, not only for himself but 
for the town ; but not without some prett}^ severe blows. 
Since then, wharfage has constituted a big item in the 
city's revenue. The following year. Mayor Hickman 
having been elected, the other officers being generally 
retained, he encouraged them to continue, as under his 
predecesor, promising all necessary aid and protection. 
The previous year proved to have been one of the most 
productive ever knowru In the month of May, 1842, all 
the rivers being up, upward of 500 flatboats were lying 
at the Memphis landing at one time, quite a number of 
which were out of the Wabash. Among others, there 
was a man b}^ the name of Trester, a very desperate, 
character. He had not been down the previous year, 
but had heard from others that they had a Wharfmaster 
at Memphis, whom there was no getting around or 
dodging. Trester swore that he would show them that 
he could do it, and provided himself with a big haw stick, 



100 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

thickly set with limbs, which he cut off at a projection 
of about half an inch from the stem. This he proposed 
to comb the Memphis Wharfmaster's head with; and 
when that functionary called upon him, he exclaimed, 
"Who are you?" "The Wharfmaster," was the reply. 
Trester stepped back to the hatch, and called for his 
stick. "Do you see this?" he asked, addressing the 
officer and flourishing his cudjel; " I cut this on purpose 
for you, and I am going to use it on you if you ever 
show your face here while I remain, and if you don't 
leave quickly, I will give it to you now. I am the mas- 
ter of this landing." • By this time a crowd had collected, 
who were cheering him on, and the Wharfmaster thought 
it prudent to withdraw. 

AN IMMORTAL CONSTABLE. 

He went to the Mayor and obtained a warrant and got 
the town Constable, Col. G. B. Locke, to serve it, which 
he attempted to do. But again the ugly club was waved. 
" I have a warrant for you," said the Constable. " And 
I have one for you," replied Trester, advancing with his 
stick. Locke stood his ground, however, but seeing the 
crowd of boatmen gathering, the two officials thought it 
best to obey orders and leave. In less than an hour 
they returned with Capt. E. F. Ruth, of the Guards, and 
ten or a dozen of his men armed and equipped. The 
sight of the glistening bayonets had the effect of dis- 
persing the crowd, and Trester hastily shoved his boats 
.back some twenty feet from shore. Feeling himself 
beyond their jurisdiction he let loose upon them with 
his tongue, denouncing them as cowards and daring 
them to fire. The ferry flat came rowing by. " There," 
said he, " take that flat and come out here if you want to 
fight," and, to his surprise, no doubt, they took him at 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 101 

his word. He and his men immediately resorted to tlieir 
oars, and succeeded in reaching the current before the 
flat with the soldiers overtook them. Seeing that there 
was no escape by flight, for there were two heavily loaded 
boats lashed together,with some eight or ten men in all on 
them, Trester prepared for fight. With an ax he cut poles 
in convenient lengths for clubs, with which all his men 
were immediatel}' armed. Their first efi'ort was to shove 
ofl^ the flat with poles, but failing in this, they seized 
their clubs and stood ready to strike an}^ one who at- 
tempted to board them, and the barges being five feet 
higher than the flat placed the latter perfectly in their 
power. The Wharfmaster went forward to have a parle}^ 

TERRIBLE TRAGEGY. 

No sooner did he come within reach than Trester, 
without waiting to hear a word, brought his club down 
on the officer's head, who threw up his arm to save his 
skull, but not soon enough to prevent being laid sprawl- 
lug on the flat. Captain Ruth, Col. Locke, and another 
gentleman, whom I do not now remember, attempted, 
simultaneoush'', to board, but were each knocked down. 
Ruth, however, had succeeded in gaining the deck, 
when Trester having, as he supposed, dispached the 
wharfmaster, was aiming a final blow at the head of the 
prostrate captaiu, when several citizens who had accom- 
panied the squad, cried out — " Fire ! Fire ! " Four of the 
soldiers obe}^'! ; yet, strange to say, but one ball took 
effect, and proved fatal. Trester leaped in the air, uttered 
a piercing shriek, and fell dead on the deck. The balance 
of the crew took refuge in their cabins, while Capt. 
Ruth took charge of the boat, manned the oars, and 
landed them at the foot of Beale street. The difficulty 
was not over. In fact it appeared to have barel}^ com- 



102 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

menced. Full two thousand excited boatmen were seen 
pressing hastily down to meet the captured boats. 
Quite a number of them were armed with guns. While 
on the bluff the citizens rushed en masse to the fray. 

Our male adult population did not then exceed one- 
half that of the boatmen, yet a far larger number of them 
were armed. Ruth ordered his men to load and form in 
a line, notwithstanding which the boatmen made a bel- 
ligerent demonstration. Just at that time several of the 
Blues went rushing down the bluff, to whom Captain 
Kuth cried — 

" Arrest those men." 

Immediately the bayonets of the Blues were at the 
breasts of some half dozen of the most demonstrativCy 
who were marched into the ferry-flat as prisoners. One 
of the citizens attempted to address the boatmen, but 
Ruth forbade it. Both companies were soon full and in 
line, as were also the armed citizens. For a few minutes^ 
breathless suspense reigned, and the slightest hostile 
demonstration on the part of the boatmen would have 
emptied one hundred fire locks into their midst. Gradu 
ally the boatmen gave way and returned to their boats, 
while the military quietly marched their prisoners, soon 
after released, up town. The Mayor forbade the slightest 
-display of triumph. A strong guard was deemed neces- 
sary for two or three days. During the time most of the 
boats left. A Board of Magistrates from the countr}'' 
were requested to investigate the matter. The boatmen 
were invited to be present and bring forward such wit- 
nesses as they desired; but they declined to take any 
part in it. The court fully justified everything done on 
the part of the city and citizens in the matter. Among 
the boatmen was an uncle of Trester's, who stated that 
he had done everything in his power to persuade hi& 



1 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 103 

nephew to obey the law, but to no purpose. The wharf- 
master continued his duties without molestation, al- 
though threats were said to have been made against his 
life. But no more of whipping the town or resisting the 
payment of whartage. The newspapers throughout the 
country, as has happened since, represented the aflair in 
a manner terribly prejudicial to Memphis. The}^ alleged 
that the man was pursued and shot down for simply re- 
fusing to pay one dollar unjustly demanded of him. The 
Legislature of Indiana passed some terribly warlike reso- 
lutions, and poor little Fort Pickering thought she saw 
the certain downfall of Memphis and herself going up. 
After keeping up a ferment for about a month, she com- 
menced moving up, and never stopped until everything 
in the way of business, worth moving, had " gone up." 
Memphis rose with flying colors, and from that time 
until the commencement of the war her growth and 
prosperity were unequaled by any other city in the South. 



ANECDOTE OF TOM. HARALDSON. 



The following anecdote shows the folly of saving up 
property for our children, who often make it fly faster 
than their poor old ancesters, by hard work and privation, 
could possibly accumulate it. Thomas Haraldson, who 
once owned the beautiful plantation known afterward as 
Capt. Hulbert's, about twenty-five miles below Memphis, 
was noted for his penurious habits and close dealings. 
It is now near forty years since the transaction above 



104 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

alliidetl to. I think Captain Hulbert paid some twenty- 
five or thirty thousand dollars for the place, including 
stock, farming implements, etc., which was one of the 
largest purchases of that day. When Hulbert arrived, 
as per agreement, he found every old scrap of iron, or 
other article of any conceivable value, carefully gathered 
up; and in this way Tom, no doubt, gouged him terribl^^ 
Still, it did not break the trade. All things were finally 
arranged, and the parties took the first steamer for this 
cit}^ to close the trade by pa^^ment of the money — one 
taking the deck, the other the cabin. The boat had 
well nigh made the trip, when Tom entered the cabin in 
haste, calling for Captain Hulbert. That individual 
responded with the exclamation — 

"What's the matter!" 

" Whj^," said Tom, " one of them cows has a bell on. 
I had liked to forgot it. It cost me a dollar, and is as 
good as new." 

Hurlbert drew out the monej^, paid him, and all was 
again satisfactory. 

Haraldson invested his mone}^ in vacant Memphis 
propert3\ He happened to strike the market, and real 
estate increased so rapidl}^ that when his estate came to 
be wound up it left his infant grand-son, Thomas H. 
Cocke, the only surviving heir, worth ha'f a million of 
dollars. 

Captain Hulbert was the father of Mr. Henry T. Hul- 
bert. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 105 



DAMON AND PYTHIAS. 



AN EXCITIXG ELECTION. THE TWO TOPPS AND A MODEL 

VOTER, 

Among the oldest residents of Memphis is Colonel 
Robertson Topp, who, in earl}^ days, figured extensively 
as a politician, and was the acknowledged leader of the 
Whig party in this end of the State, alwaj^s taking an ac- 
tive part in elections. He and his brother. Colonel Dixon 
Topp, ma}^ be said to look as much alike as two black- 
ej^ed peas. It sometimes happens that two persons have 
faces such perfect blanks that it is difficult to distinguish 
them, particularl}^ when met separatel}' ; but the two 
Topps were men of the most strongly marked and ex- 
pressive features, and j^et so striking^ alike in every 
particular that, when standing side b}^ side, many of 
their most intimate friends were unable to tell one from 
the other. 

A few days prior to the State election in 1841 Robert- 
son Topp, in passing, overheard a boisterous Irishman, 
named Michael Brady, telling how he should A^ote, and, 
recognizing the fellow, stepped up to him and asked if 
he designed voting at the coming election, and was an- 
swered that he did. 

"Now," said Topp, "3-ou are not entitled to vote; I 
know when you came here to a da}-, as you have been in 
my emplojmient ever since, and I will see that you don't 
vote." 

Mike slunk awa}^, muttering, " Bedad, I'd like to see 
you kape me from voting." 



106 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

When the election clay came, all the Whigs in the 
southern portion of the town gathered at the Gayoso 
House, some two hundred or upward in number, formed 
in a line, and, with Robertson Topp at their head, marched 
up to the City Hotel, on Winchester street, to vote. The 
Irishman above alluded to had secretly watched the 
movement, and as soon as the procession was fairly under 
way, started to Fort Pickering, which was the only other 
voting place then on the bluff. Now it happened that 
Dixon Topp was here on a visit at that time, and, at the 
solicitation of his brother, had gone down to Fort Pick- 
ering to watch the voting; so when our Irishman arrived 
and was hastening up to deposit his vote, he came to a 
sudden stop, seeing, as he thought, Robertson Topp 
standing near the polls. 

" How the divil did he git here ahid of me?" he men- 
tally asked, "but I'll bate him yit, and, while he is watch- 
ing for me here, I'll be up to the City Hotel voting." 

Knowing that Topp had not seen him, he slily crept 
back, and soon found himself at the City Hotel, which 
place was very much crowded. Mike had ,nearly suc- 
ceeded in making his way to the ballot-box, when a heavy 
hand was laid on his shoulder, and he was hastily jerked 
back. 

"Aha," said the real Robertson Topp, "I have caught 
you now." Jerking him out of the line, and shaking 
his finger in -Brady's face, he added, "Don't attempt to 
vote again, or you will fare worse." 

" Mickie," as he was familiarly called by his country- 
men, walked off with a disgusted air, muttering aloud: 

" Ah, to h — 1 with the voting; it's little I care who's 
elected," tearing up his ticket at the same time. 

But this was all done for a blind. Sauntering around 
and watching Topp until he saw him otherwise deeply 



b 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. lOT 

engaged, he obtained a horse, which, under whip 
and spur, soon landed him in Fort Pickering. Again he 
made a rush for the polls, and again came to a sudden 
halt, for there again stood the tall form, as he thought, 
of Robertson Topp, looking as calm and composed as 
though he had undergone no rapid transition, or experi- 
enced or anticipated any excitement. 

" Blazes to his soul," muttered Mike, between his- 
teeth. 

It now became evident to his mind that there was no 
possible chance of his voting on the Bluff — 

"But," thought he, "there's another place of votings 
and I'll defy him and the divvill together to bate me to 
that. He has not seen me yit, and I'll jist lave him 
watching for me." 

So, leadirg his horse secretly into the thicket, and 
satisfying himself that Topp was not aware of his pres- 
ence, he mounted, and, taking a circuitous route to avoid 
passing through Memphis, struck the Raleigh road about 
the old Fair Grounds, when, putting his horse to his 
utmost speed, he never broke the lope until he reached the 
courthouse in Raleigh. But it so happened that Robert- 
son Topp and others had made up their minds to visit 
the county seat and see how the election was progressing 
there. So, immediately after his rudeness to Mr. Brad}^, 
he and two or three friends stepped into a hack, and were 
rapidly driven to that, then, important place. The party 
had barely alighted at Coleman's tavern, and before they 
had time to patronize the bar — which, of course, was the 
first thing in order — when their attention was attracted 
by the loud clattering of horse feet, and looking in the 
direction of Memphis, they beheld a horseman covered 
with dust, and his beast with foam, charging up the hill 
as thouo^h he thousjht the devil was behind instead of 



108 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

before him. Throwing his reigns over the rack, he rolled 
off, and with ticket in hand, struck a bee-line for the 
place of voting; but while doing so Topp recognized in 
the furious rider the man whom he had prevented from 
voting two hours before in Memphis — hastened after 
him, and just as Mickie was about offering his vote the 
heavy hand was again on his shoulder; his body suddenly 
whirled around, and his cj'^es met the stern features of 
Robertson Topp. 

It is useless for me to attempt an adequate description 
of the wretched man at this tiying moment. I will 
simpty say that his hair stood on end, his eyes threatened 
to leap from their sockets, the color fled from his face, 
his under jaw fell on his breast, his chest swelled as 
though it would burst, and sank as though it would col- 
lapse, and a general tremor shook his entire person. 
Topp, in alarm, dropped his hold as soon as possible. 
The horrified creature staggered back a few paces, then, 
turning partly round, with one eye behind, he made his 
way back to his horse. Finding he was not pursued he 
threw his arm over the jaded beast's neck for support, 
and, while gasping for breath, took a long, stead}^ look 
at the object of his terror, who had, no doubt, assumed 
coUossal dimensions in his eyes. Topp returned the 
stare until satisfied that no fatal consequences were 
likely to result from his rashness, hurried off to fill his 
engagement at the bar; and poor Mickie, as soon as he 
•could gather sufficient strength, clambered on his horse 
and started off, but not to hunt another voting place. He 
had already seen too maii}^ of them. On arriAing at his 
home, with a palpitating heart, he recounted to his friends 
his adventures of the day in the pursuit of a vote, wind- 
ing up with the declaration that •' Robertson Topp was 
shurely the divvill." 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 109 



HISTORY OF PINCH— ORIGIN OF THE WORD. 



SECTIONAL FEUDS AND THEIR RESULTS. 

Immediatel}^ north of the Memphis and Ohio railroad 
depot there is a bend in the ba3^ou, which once constitu- 
ted a considerable lake. Its original beauty has been, 
destroyed, and [the bed to some extent filled up by the 
building of the heavy enbankment on Second street 
through it. This lake was once known by the name of 
Catfish Ba}^, and bade fair to become a place of no small 
importance. The landing was then quite contracted 
and not very safe for flatboats. Those, therefore, who 
wished to close out and break up — as, also, family 
boats — found it very convenient to haul up into Catfish 
Baj^, which, as its name indicates, was noted for its 
abundance of fish. This fact and the cheapness of old 
rubbish lumber with which to build shanties, induced a 
number of poor families to settle upon its banks. One 
group of mean houses, noted for the apparent destitu- 
tion of its occupants — and whose masters were in con- 
stant attendance at the Old Bell Tavern, rendering im- 
portant service to that institution, by assisting to swell 
the bills when liquor for all hands was ordered — was 
dubbed, by old Craven Pej'ton, with the classic name of 
" Pinch Gut," but whether this name was suggested b}" 
the hungry appearance of the wives and children, or 
by the dullness of the trade at the tavern, which some- 
times subjected the husbands to the disagreeable neces- 
sity of going home sober, I am unable to say. As might 
be expected, the topers did not like the name, and to re- 



110 HISTOEY OF MEMPHIS. 

move it from the locality, they insisted that it belonged to 
the opposite side of the bay, whose residents in liurn took 
umbrage, and a feud was the consequence, which was 
greatly enjoyed by those who fancied themselves beyond 
the bounds of either; but this proved a mistake. More 
distant neighbors settled the dispute by lumping the 
whole surroundings of Catfish Bay under the general 
appellation of " I'inch Gut," or " Pinch Bay." It did 
not stop here, but continued to expand until it not only 
took in Smoky Row, but threatened to invade the aris- 
tocratic circles of Auction Square. All efforts to stay 
its march had the contrary effect, and a wide district 
became known as Pinch. The name did good. It united 
the people of that end of town to an extent that it made 
them felt, and " Pinch " became a power in the land. 

DAVID CROCKETT. 

As I said before. Pinch was not without her triumphs 
at elections, of which candidates, at least, seemed well 
aware. When the famous David Crocket visited Mem- 
phis in 1829, he paid marked respect to Pinch and made 
a speech from the deck of a flatboat in Catfish Ba}^, 
which was better received, though not so lengthy or well 
attended as the one he made on the Bluff. The latter 
consisted mainly of anecdotes, in the recital of which 
he excelled all mem The coon in his stories cut a con- 
siderable figure; they were generally fresh and wholly 
original, and created a great deal of boisterous mirth. 
I have seen most of them published since. His closing 
action in Memphis may be worthy of mention. 

CROCKETT AND EPPY WHITE. 

He proposed to bet a gallon of whisky that he could 
jump further into the bay, make a bigger splash and wet 
himself less than any other man in the crowd. To his 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. HI 

surprise CoL Eppy White, who weighed about three 
hundred pounds, proposed to take the bet. Considerable 
merriment was created and a rich scene expected. But 
Crockett, after taking a survey of old Eppy's dimensions, 
spoiled it all by backing out, acknowledging the corn 
and proposing to pay the whisky,which he did a hundred 
times over. The " biggest drunk " ever known on this 
bluff was the result. 

LOW DOWN SCULDUGGERY. 

I am happy to say that national politics were not 
then brought into our local elections; but I am sorry to 
admit that other subjects, even less creditable, were — 
one of which, ^' The poor man," was carried to a most 
disgusting extent. The rivalry between opposite can- 
didates developed itself in absurd promises to that inter- 
esting but desperately wronged class, the poor. To hear 
those philanthropists talk, one would have thought it 
the duty of the State to legislate every man into a com- 
petency without requiring the slightest effort on his part, 
and if you only elected them the thing would certainly 
be brought about. It is, perhaps, needless to say that 
Pinch was sound on the poor man question, and if any 
supposed the old boats of Catfish Bay wielded no 
influence, they were very much mistaken. 

But it was not to Pinch, or even to the State of Ten- 
nessee, that this ridiculous conduct was confined. It 
pervaded several, if not all, of the surrounding States, and 
that, too, from the high position of Governor down. One 
man, at least, who has since filled the Presidential chair, 
was wholly indebted to the Poor Man twaddle for his 
start in political life. 

IKE EAWLINGS. 

But let us get back in Pinoh, where a more direct 
local triumph was effected by the defeat of old Ike 



112 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS, 

Rawlings for Mayor in 1831. Ike was considered invin- 
cible, and was the special favorite of the upper end and 
" upper ten." It was charged that he had turned against 
Pinch. 

His opposition to the Bell Tavern and other sinks of 
iniquity was well enough; but when he attempted to 
enforce some of his laws about nuisances in and about 
Catfish Bay, the thing was insufferable. It seemed that 
the old fellow did not like the smell of fish, especially 
after they had sweltered several days on the bank, or 
drifted around the bay, belly upward. This nuisance 
ordinance was denounced by the Pinch orators as cruel, 
tyrannical, an infraction of the poor man's rights, and a 
violation of the Constitution. This last charge, I think, 
was pretty well founded; for the law was certainly very 
partial in its operation. 

A LIMB OF THE LAW. 

Seth Wheatley, a young law3^er, thirsting for knowl- 
edge and honors, was selected for their champion. 
Being a full head and shoulders taller than Ike, he was 
thought to breathe a purer atmosphere and to be entirely 
above vulgar scents. But this triumph over Rawlings 
was the last of Pinch, at least for several years. In a 
few short months after, not a shanty adorned the banks 
of Catfish Bay, not a boat lay in her muddy bed or 
floated on her filthy waters. The place had become an 
intolerable nuisance to the neighborhood, but how to 
abate it was the question. True, it was private property, 
and none were more anxious to see it cleaned out than 
the owners, and although no forcible resistance was 
anticipated, j^et the " poor man " cry carried a power 
that the most heroic and daring cared not to face. The 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 113 

object, however, was effected in a sort of Ku-Klux man- 
ner. 

DROWNING OUT THE PEOPLE. 

The denizens of the bay, to free themselves from the 
charge ot creating a nuisance, laid it to Car's tannery, 
a short distance above, which it was said emptied its 
vats sometimes into the bayou, rendering the water 
wholly unfit to drink and killing the" fish. This was no 
doubt the truth. About two nights after Wheatley's 
election as Mayor, a perfect sluice of tan-ooze and filth 
was let down upon the people of Catfish Bay. Of course 
nobody knew who did it; it was evidently not done by 
any one connected with the tannery. Everybody disap- 
proved of the act, or pretended to, and no doubt many 
of them were sincere. Providence, however, came to 
their relief. A large eddy had formed in front of the 
town, covering all that space since occupied by the bat- 
ture, making it perfectly safe for family boats, as also a 
great resort for fish. Some of the boats were floated out, 
the others were sold and broken up, the shanties taken 
down and moved to other localities. Merchants and cit- 
izens generally were very liberal, and the whole was 
accomplished in a short time and with the best of feel- 
ing. The old topers were kept full for several days; 
after which all quieted down, and the name of Catfish 
Bay, or Pinch Gut, was never mentioned and was almost 
forgotten. What a pity it had not remained so ! 

J. D. CURRIN. 

It was in the spring of 1837, I think, that James D. 
Currin, of the firm of Currin & Strange, a 3"oung merchant 
of the free and easy order, was elected an Alderman from 
the First Ward. By that time the town had extended 
considerably south, generally in little groups of houses, to 



114 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

which names were given, such as Lake Walker, Yatesville, 
Lewisburg, Andersonville, etc., and it became a habit in 
the Board to pleasantly apply the name of the locality, 
instead of ward, in speaking of a member. Currin being 
among the first to adopt this course, and rather unsparing 
in his witty sallies, his immediate locality having no dis- 
tinct appellation, and although he lived far remote from 
any bound to which the original Pinch had ever ex- 
tended, still it was a part of his ward, and therefore he 
was addressed as the gentleman from Pinch; and thus 
the name was again revived, and in a short time was 
used *with the most vindictive bitterness. Were I to 
attempt an3"tliing like a full account of the sectional 
strife between North and South Memphis, or, as the 
districts were disignated. Pinch and Sodom, I would be 
under the necessit}^ of doubling the length of this story. 
Its most remarkable feature would be how such intense 
hatred could exist, and yet so little comparative blood- 
shed. 

FAMOUS LEADERS. 

The leaders on each side were desperate and deter- 
mined men, of which Dr. Jeptha Fowlkes and General 
Levin H. Coe were the most prominent. But as no 
good could come of reviewing these feuds, and probably 
some harm, I shall make no further allusions to them, 
but confine myself to the causes and results. 

The town was, prior to 1842, divided into three wards, 
the two first extending to Market street, and the Third 
Ward from that to Union, and although this ward was 
but thinly settled it was certainly entitled to rights of 
which it was deprived by the combination of the other 
two — one of which was to cut down a road to the land- 
ing more convenient, and not be obliged to go up to Mar- 
ket street and back, under the bluff as low as Madison, 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 115 

although the citizens proposed to do it at their own ex- 
pense. Yet NO was the peremptory answer; and while 
she paid a large portion of the taxes, her appropriations 
were very limited; Of course these things were well 
calculated to produce bad feeling. Finding it very dan- 
gerous and almost impossible to keep up a road under 
the bluff, a large wooden wharf was, in 1837, built across 
the bar, opposite the foot of Winchester street, which at 
first promised to do well, but owing to a great extension 
of the bar the following year, it became too shoal at low 
water for steamboats to land at; in consequence of which 
Captain William W. Hart, the owner of the wharfboat 
Orleans, dropped her down temporarily some three or 
four hundred j^ards below the wharf, where the bar was 
more bluff, when the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, 
with more arrogance than decency, ordered him to bring 
her back. 

SQUIRE RICHARDS 

says that if he wished to turn a man of common sense 
into a jackass, the first thing he would do would be to 
have him elected an Alderman. I would like, for the 
credit of our city fathers, to differ with my old friend, 
but, unfortunately, I have seen incidents tending to 
establish its truth. They are liable to be taken with the 
big-head and think the}' know it all; that outsiders have 
no right or capacit}^ to know anything about legislative 
matters, or the interests of the city, and treat advice 
with contempt. 

OUTRAGE UPON STEAMBOATS. 

Such was the case at least in this instance; and water 
or no water, steamboats must land right there. ' The 
consequence was Hart had to drop his boat below the 
corporation line. It happened that trade and travel had 



116 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

increased so rapidly that steamboats were unable to ac- 
commodate all, and it was a matter of favor to be per- 
mitted to ship anything. The idea of coercing steam- 
boats at such a time was the hight of absurdity. Hart 
was the. general mail agent, and a very popular and influ- 
ential man, but the Board could not be made to see it. 
So, after fretting, foaming and passing blood and thun- 
der resolutions, and even threatening to get up a mob 
and cut his boat loose, they finally subsided, but not 
until they had got up a very warlike feeling on the other 
side. Taking advantage of this, the denizens of South 
Memphis conceived the idea of laying off another town. 

SODOM OVERREACHES THE MARK. 

They had already got the steamboats, and with a little 
effort it was supposed they could draw off the merchants 
and better class of citizens. They were, however, going 
to be choice as to those they permitted to come among 
them, particularly from that detested region known as 
Pinch; and to aid them in the scheme they fanned the 
flames of sectional hate. It was thought that the lower 
half of Memphis would secede, unite with their friends 
and beget an embrio Southern Confederacy. 

FORT PICKERING COMES TO THE SURFACE. 

But a more hasty movement was commenced at a point 
lower down. A number of broken speculators, whose 
only remaining stock in trade was gas, bought the Fort 
Pickering tract on space, and proceeded to lay off a town, 
which, according to their prediction, was to be the town. 
They immediately joined the crusade against poor 
Pinch. They uttered the word as though it carried with 
it a sickening stench, and repeated it so often that their 
noses and upper lips acquired a set sneer, which, added 
to their natural repulsive looks, rendered their presence 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 117 

offensive even to each other. The}^, however, cut a small 
figure in this affair, and soon played out, leaving their 
unfortunate dupes to settle the question of title with the 
original proprietors as best they could, and opening a 
rich field for a host of hungr}^ lawyers. 

A NEW PHILOSOPHY. 

In the meantime the Pinchites learned sense, pursued 
a more liberal course, divided the Third Ward into three, 
making five in all, and allowed their southern brethren 
to have eveiything their own way — who, in turn, seemed 
to have lost what sense they had. Concessions are gen- 
erally looked upon as triumphs, and, so far from satisfy- 
ing, only increased the demands of the adverse party. 
Sodom thought she had Pinch by the throat, and pro- 
ceeded to the pious work of strangling her, but over- 
reached the mark. Not content in crushing Pinch pro- 
per, to-wit: from Market street, north, and relying confi- 
dentl}^ on the potency of the name, while modestly 
claiming the right to alter and fix it bounds at pleasure, 
their first extension of it was to Poplar street; but 
wishing to include the whole business part of the town, 
they finally determined on Adams street — thus not only 
weakening themselves, but giving strength and respect- 
ability to Pinch, and at the same time disgusting those 
living below that line. These people, seeing the ob- 
ject, refused to act with them further, and when, too 
late, the Sodomites tried to retrace their steps. It was 
soon discovered that the steamboat landing was more 
of an ornamental than a profitable accession. The 
fiatboats attracted all the country trade. They lay 
above Adams street, and the best stands were found 
to be in that vicinity. The consequence was that busi- 
ness, which had strung along Front Row, began to con- 



118 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

centrate in that locality. About this time (1841) a 
number of capitalists came quietly among us, making 
large investments, and strange to say, many of them, 
regardless of the odious name, preferred Pinch property. 
From this time the prosperity of Memphis may properly 
date. One year later, and she assumed the title of 

THE CITY OF MEMPHIS, 

and eight years later the town of South Memphs was 
brought within her corporate limits. Sectional strife 
and feuds, however, continued to a degree by no means 
creditable to the parties engaged in them, long after the 
union of the two corporations, and I am sorry to say, 
have not entirely passed away yet; and, although poor 
Pinch seems to be wholly friendless, there still appears to 
besome who fear she may rise in her new strength and 
outshine her adversaries in splendor; and, in my opinion, 
they are doing far more than her property holders to 
bring that thing about. Another influx of capitalists 
will take place before Memphis will advance materially. 
When they come their investments will be made where 
the most liberal inducements are offered, and no empty, 
senseless epithets will have any weight in controlling 
their purchases. 

The greatest diflaculty I have encountered in writing 
the foregoing story, as also some that preceded it, was 
how to condense the incidents connected with it, within 
the scope of a newspaper article. Some that properly 
belonged to it were omitted entirely, while others were 
passed over with a degree of haste that failed to do the 
subject justice or myself credit. 



"Old Times" has not only done himself credit, but 
has conferred a great favor upon the public. His stories, 
simply told, has been written with admirable good taste, 
and we hope the history will be continued. — Ed. Appeal. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 119 



EARLY REMINISCENCES. 



[The following we cut from the Appeal, of August 29, 
1871, by permission of our friend. Doctor J. B. Mallory, 
the author. It speaks for itself:] 

A CHAPTER FOR THE OLD FOLKS. 

Some years subsequent — we will not say how many — 
to the memorable first sermon preached in Memphis by 
Elijah Coffee, w^e arrived in town, and considered our 
mortal tenement located. It was not much of a place at 
that time, limited, as well as we remember, to the pM^sical 
boundaries of what is now known by the euphonious title 
of Pinch, where so many of the sons of Erin do love to 
congregate. If any corroborating evidence is wanting 
to confirm our antiquity, we can only say, that we 
remember distinctly when Johnson gave hospitable enter- 
tainments to the wear}^ traveler; when Finnic and White 
smiled benignantly on the bibulous; when the Blue 
Ruin flourished like a green bay tree; when the Missis- 
sippi burst the base of Young's old storehouse; when 
our venerated friend, John Lawrence, mounted on a 
diminutive steed, aroused the citizens to arms, in the 
affair of the flatboatmen, on which occasion a belligerent 
owner of a boat received a mortal wound. 

Yes, we remember when Fort Pickering threatened to 
extinguish Memphis, on account of the unaccommodating 
spirit of her merchants. To which end a railroad was 
resolved upon, and a costly tavern erected by the inde- 
fatigable Yates, of adipose notoriety. It was a solemn 



120 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

time in the affairs of Memphis. Her destiny swung on 
an attenuated thread. The gods favored her, however, 
and she now proudly points to the innumerable trophies 
of her success. 

In the comparatively brief period of time, since we 
landed on this bluff, almost an entire generation has dis- 
appeared, and, in the language of a former editor of the 
Appeal, on a melancholy occasion, 'we feel almost alone.' 
A new generation has taken the places of those who 
have passed the Lethean stream. And thus it will be 
until the end of time. It may be interesting, at least to 
some who are left, if we make mention of a few of the 
prominent citizens who lived in Memphis during the 
early period of which we write. There are some, we 
doubt not, who will remember Silas Toncray — a man of 
universal genius and various callings. The last time 
we saw him he was alone in his little back room, giving 
the finishing touches to a mechanism of brass, by which 
(to use his own language) he was able to measure dis- 
tanceSj irrespective of the inequalities of surface. He 
informed us he had applied for a patent, but as he died 
shortly after, and as our youthful comprehension failed 
to catch the idea he wished to convey, the world doubt- 
less lost, in his death, a valuable invention. Near the 
northern extremit}^ of Main street, he erected a brick 
church for the benefit of the colored population, which 
still remains as a monument of his benevolence and 
Christian charity. 

About the same time lived Joseph Cooper, a thrifty 
merchant, who, by great patience, frugality and well 
directed energy amassed a considerable fortune. There 
was a method in all he did, which many of his cotempo- 
raries might have profitably imitated. Deprived of sight 
in the latter part of life, the social enjo3^ment of pleasant 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 121 

company afforded him a peculiar gratification. It was 
a bad omen for Pinch when he emigrated to the corner 
of Monroe and Front streets. He was fond of listening 
to the church bells. Their music reminded him, he said, 
of frail mortality, and in one of his prodigal moods he 
contributed fifty dollars to purchase the bell that every 
Sunday morning rings its solemn warning from the 
steeple of Wesley Chapel. 

Prominent among the medical men of that day was 
Dr. Wyatt Christian, an excellent phj^sician, a high-toned 
gentleman, sincere in his attachments, and ever usefully 
emplo^'ed in relieving the ailments of suffering humanity. 
He was highly respected and esteemed by a large circle 
of friends, professionally and socially. Joseph Bohan- 
non is still remembered by a few. To the skill of the 
druggist he combined the most desirable qualifications 
of the merchant. He was, perhaps, the best business 
man on the bluff. Humanum est errare. We should 
remember only his good qualities. His younger brother, 
familiarly called Dick — remarkable for occasional er- 
ratic manifestations — was a popular individual with 
all classes, and constituted an important integral con- 
stituent in the early society of Memphis. Like a true 
patriot, he fell at Cerro Gordo, fighting for his country's 
flag. 

Among the early inhabitants of Memphis was Captain 
William H. Seawall. He still lives, .and cultivates a 
small farm near Yorktown, Va. In the hard fought 
battles between Vera Cruz and the City of Mexico, he 
was the onl}^ commissioned officer in the United States 
army who represented Memphis. He was a gallant and 
efficient officer. At Cherubusco his company was almost 
annihilated by a Mexican battery. After the termina- 
tion of the war, he returned to Memphis, but remained 



122 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

only a few months. He is favorably remembered by bis^ 
few surviving friends. 

There are a few still living who may have in their 
recollection an old druggist named Justus Smith, who 
lived on the corner of Winchester and Main streets. If 
Diogenes had passed that way with his lantern, he might 
have terminated his peregrinations with the old Doctor. 
In him he would have found that rare species of the 
genius "homo:" an honest man. Like a true philoso- 
pher, he bore the inflictions of outrageous fortune, and 
divided his affections between his Bible and the National 
Intelligencer. He was ever ruminant or fumant. 

The memory of Jesse Williamson is pleasantly 
cherished by a few surviving friends. He was, with a 
little eccentricity of manner, a pleasing companion, and 
ready at all times, with an amusing anecdote, to regale a 
select crowd. It was a peculiarit}^ with him to speak in 
broken French, or English, I forget which. 

In this panoramic view many familiar names might be 
enumerated, which were associated with the early 
development of Memphis, if we were not restricted by 
the prescribed limits of this communication. It may be 
a senile imbecility, but it is pleasant to contemplate the 
past, notwithstanding many dark clouds overshadow the 
view, and the melancholy fact is remembered that so- 
many of those who lived and moved among us at that 
early day, have acted their brief part in the drama of 
life, and disappeared forever. It is delightful to think 
of those good old times — " the best in the world " — when 
the bottom rail was content to lie on the ground ; when 
but few signets could have been found with the inscrip- 
tion, " Qucerenda peciinia primum est, virtus post 7ium- 
mos;^' when a large amount of social feeling existed — the 
usual characteristic of small towns. With an amusing 



1 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 123 

illustration of the latter, we will terminate, for the present, 
our early reminiscences: 

In the summer of 1838 the monotony of Memphis was 
relieved by the sudden appearance of Monsieur Dukay, 
an individual of foreign aspect, peculiarly French in his 
accent and the color of his cuticle. He came in pursuit 
of health, and to escape the heat and malaria of a more 
southern climate. Agreeable in conversation and pre- 
possessing in manners, he was not long in making him- 
self the center of a social circle. The ladies smiled 
delightfully in his presence, and through the long sum- 
mer months no party or ifashionable assemblage was 
complete without Monsieur Dukay. He sang chai mingly 
in French. But his greatest attraction was the posses- 
sion of two sugar plantations in Louisiana. On the. 
upper plantation he claimed an annual production of 
four hundred hogsheads, and six hundred hogsheads on 
the lower plantation. This was enough to sweeten hi& 
societ}^ and give a saccharine tinge to his general con- 
versation. The merchants, too, were happy to make his 
acquaintance. He talked eloquently of finances. .But 
all things have an end, and it became necessar}^, in the 
course of events, for Monsieur Dukay to depart, and om 
the event of this interesting occasion he deplored with; 
tearful e3^es the necessity that compelled him to return 
to his plantations. He was consoled, however, with the 
reflection that he would shortly return. From a friend 
in the grocer}^ line he purchased a bill of supplies for 
the upper plantation, giving in payment a draft on his 
Orleans merchant. From a " dear old friend " he ob- 
tained, in a similar manner, a fine riding horse, saddle 
and bridle ; and from a bosom friend and companion he 
reluctantl}^ consented to receive a diamond ring for his. 
" only sister." 



124 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

Mouths passed away, and no tidings came of the ele- 
gant Frenchman. The drafts were duly returned for 
non-acceptance, and many a hearty laugh was enjoyed at 
the expense of those who were victimized, in considera- 
tion of four hundred hogsheads on the upper plantation 
and six hundred hogsheads on the lower plantation. 

During the ensuing winter a gentleman, with whom he 
had been intimate, and who had suffered a little from his 
saccharine expedition, happened in a shop in New Or- 
leans and found "men cherDukay " manipulating in the 
capacity of a quadroon barber. The tonsorial planter 
manifested surprise, and was quite overcome with grief. 
" It grieves me," he exclaimed, " to have imposed myself 
upon the kindness of my friends in Memphis," and tears 
of large dimensions confirmed the genuineness of his 
pretence. 

If still living, it is more than probable his distin- 
guished abilities have been rewarded by a lucrative office 
under the government. Civis. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 125 



THE OLD BELL TAVERN. 



GENERAL JACKSON AND PADDY MEAGHER. 

Some hundred j^ards or more south of the jail,' on the 
east side of Front or Chickashaw street, stands a low^ 
broad building, with its gable to the street. There is 
nothing in its present appearance calculated to arrest the 
attention of the passer-by, more than the most cheaply 
constructed of the houses, the old cedar posts having 
been often re-planked. These old posts j^et bear the 
marks, and no doubt contain the leaden balls fired to 
avenge the wrongs or prove the courage of early chivalry, 
and if they could tell tales, what vice, crime and debauch- 
ery they have witnessed, it would startle any but the most 
hardened of the present day. There are some errors 
about the antiquity of this house. I think it was built in 
1822, though Dr. Frame — pretty good authority — thinks 
it of still more recent date. It was not the first tavern 
on the BlufiT. Old Squire McMahon, father of Frank and 
the Doctor, built a much finer one on Auction street 
some two years earlier, and although the Squire was a 
man of considerable ability he could not " keep a tav- 
ern," at least not to suit the habits of the guests of that 
day. Col. Sam. R. Brown was the first tavern-keeper. 
When Paddy Meagher bought out the house, afterwards 
known as the Bell Tavern, in 1823, it had been kept as a 
store, containing a little of all sorts, and nothing in partic- 
ular, except whisky and tobacco. Paddy had previously 
established a similar house near the foot of Jeflferson 
street, which being too far from business, he found it 
necessary to move further up ; and as this man and h i 



126 HISTOHY OF MEMPHIS. 

family cut a considerable figure in the early history of 
Memphis, I deem it proper to give what I have learned of 
his antecedents. It will be remembered that General 
Jackson came within an ace of having been born an iTish- 
man, which perhaps accounted for his attachment for the 
people of that countr}^ He generally had several of 
them about him. Where he picked up Paddy Meagher, 
or when Paddy became a camp follower, I don't know; but 
when Fort Pickering was established, the General 
became anxious to have a quiet retreat, where he could 
be free from military cares and the annoyance of visitors. 
He purchased a small improvement on the head of Island 
46, where he settled Paddy, his wife, and little daughter 

Sally. 

president's island. 

With Paddy the General spent a goodly portion of his 
time. Some pretended to believe the General sincere in 
his anxiety for quietude; others that he was anxious to 
secure the squatter's right to the Island, and it was 
known for several years by the name of Jackson's Island. 
But after the whole territory became known as the 
Jackson Purchase, and his name spoken of in connec- 
tion with the Presidency, the name was again changed 
to President's Island, and was perhaps the first compli- 
ment of the kind paid him. Whether he ever perfected 
a title to the island I do not know. 

There were others, however, who attributed a very 
different motive to the General's frequent visits to the 
island, and some went so far as to hint that little Sally's 
paternity was a matter of considerable doubt. This was 
evidently very unjust, for if ever a child was the type of 
its father in feature, form, temperament, Sally was of 
Paddy Meagher. These charges coming to Jackson's 
-ears were traced up by him, and the result was that one 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 127 

|>oor fellow got a terrible caning. This bad a tendency 
to stop all such talk, or at least for the time being. The 
account publislied of this caning by his enemies, some 
fifteen years later, was very prejudicial to Jackson. It 
was even stated that several of his friends stood by with 
cocked pistols, threatening to kill the fellow if he moved. 
The General gave some grounds for this charge by his 
excessive fondness for Salty, and the common opinion 
was that he would either adopt her or do something 
handsome for her. She never grew too large to sit on 
his knee or hang round his neck, but this was no sign, 
for Sally was in nowise particular whose knee she sat 
upon. 

paddy's HEN AND CHICKENS. 

After the removal of the army, Paddy moved, and, 
seeming to have an attachment for islands, settled on 
what is now known as Frame's Island. He also estab- 
lished a woodyard on what is known as the Old Hen, and 
made some slight improvements in others, evident^ with 
the design of setting up the squatter's or occupant's 
right. Whether he ever succeeded I do not know. The 
Islands, however, acquired the name of Paddy's Hen 
and Chickens, by which they are still known. Two of 
these islands have since washed away. Paddy, by some 
unaccountable means, became possessed of considerable 
money. He had alwaj^s been looked upon as a mere 
dependent of General Jackson. He purchased sev- 
eral negroes, among them old Uncle Lymas, who died 
only a few years since, and his wife. Aunt Cillar, to 
whom I am indebted for many reminiscences of early 
times. Paddy did not remain long on the island, but 
bought Henry Foy's place, the handsomest on the bluff, 
near the foot of Jefferson street. The principal part of 
Foy's farm was under the bluff; which, having washed 



128 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

away, as the present batture is now doing, caused him 
to sell his right to Paddy, who, in a few years, found he 
had no title whatever. I think a couple of lots were 
given him by the original proprietors, after which he 
moved up to the Old Bell TaVern, the subject of our 
story. 

THE OLD TAVERN. 

As heretofore stated, it was not Paddy's design to 
start a tavern, but it was necessary to have accommoda- 
tions for such as became too top-heavy on his bar-room 
to keep their feet under them. Beside, Paddy had a 
great many friends, who would insist on staying with 
him; so it was, he soon made additions to the house, and 
opened out with no other sign than a fifty pound bell 
swung to a post tn front of the door. In this he beat 
McMahon, who, having nothing of the kind, and not 
being able to compete with the new establishment, dis- 
continued the tavern business. ' 

Padd}^ was a jolly old soul, full of fun, and generally 
pretty full of liquor. Eveiybody liked him, and he ought 
to have done well. 

But the principal attraction of the house was Salty, 
who was now blooming into womanhood. I cannot make 
her the heroine of my story, in view of the wretched end 
to which she came at last. She was short, rather thick, 
well put up, of brown complexion, and would have been 
considered homely but for a head of hair and pair of eyes 
that would have made an ogress beautiful. Her chief 
quality was wit, in which she surpassed her father. She 
could say more funny things, play more tricks, laugh 
louder, and make everybody else laugh, more, than any 
half dozen girls in the country. Of course she drew a 
great deal of custom, particularly to the bar, where a free 
and easy manner reign6d. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 129 

And here I would like to give an account of the young 
ladies that flourished here at that time. It is due to 
them to say that they did not generally partake of the 
rude spirit of the men, though the few who did were not 
for that reason excluded from society. They could not 
be spared, as all of them made but a small sized party, 
and Sally Meagher's talents did not lay exclusively in 
her tongue, for she could take the socks off any of her fair 
comj^etitors in the dance, so that Sa%, instead of taking 
a back seat, was generally the star, if not the belle of 
each festive occasion. I might tell of the pretty Kate 
Fletcher, the late Mrs. Catherine Whittier, and others. 

Sally married the handsome and dashing Tom Huling. 
Tom was a gambler, but that did not set him back. He 
wore fine clothes and was possessed of much money, 
though it was questionable whether it was all genuine ; 
still he was then called a gentleman. It was supposed 
that Huling believed the current story that Sally would 
secure wealth from General Jackson. 

JACKSON AND BENTON. 

During old Padd}^ Meagher's time the tavern was far 
more decently conducted than ever afterward. True, 
there were almost dailj^ fights and drunken rowd3dsm, 
but nothing worthy of particular note, except, perhaps, 
a fight between General Jackson and Jesse Benton. 
This grew out of an old feud, and the parties had had 
several brushes before in Nashville. Benton moved to 
Tipton county, and on a visit to Memphis, happening to 
meet the General at Padd3^'s, the}^ renewed it. Two ac- 
counts of this fight were published during the Presiden- 
tial canvass of 1828, differing in every respect, except 
that Benton got the worst of it. We heard old Jesse 
Benton tell the tale some ten 3^ears later. He was a 

9 



130 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

bitter, vindictive old man, and never tired of abusing 
Jackson ; but he was worse, if possible, on his brother, Tom 
Benton, who was then making himself conspicuous with 
his Expunging Resolutions. 

THE PROPRIETORS OF THE OLD BELL TAVERN. 

Old Paddy killed a vast quantity of whisky in his 
time, but, as is generally the case, whisky triumphed in 
the end, and after about two years' proprietorship of the 
Bell Tavern, he pegged out, and his son in-law, Tom 
Huling, succeeded him. Tom immediately put the house 
in repair, for Paddy had but little taste. The bar was 
enlarged and handsomely fitted up, extensive additions 
were made to the house — one of which was for the especial 
benefit of the gamblers, having all necessary tables and 
other fixtures. Tom also had a sign put up, with the 
rude representation of a bell painted on it. The house 
had been generally known as "Paddy's," by which 
name it had acquired all its popularity. It was also 
known in the country as the Bell Tavern, owing to the 
bell in front of it, which Sam Stogdon, the bar-keeper, 
was as fond of ringing as ever a child was of shaking a 
rattle. For a time the house seemed to prosper; but 
Huling got other ideas in his head, took to speculating, 
and was absent frequently, without Sally or anyone else 
knowing where he had gone, or how long he would 
remain away; in fact, Sally knew less, and cared as 
little, about him as she well could. Although he often 
started in an opposite direction, he was known to visit at 
Shawnee Village, a short distance above here, in Arkan- 
sas, afterward known as the headquarters of the Murrel 

Clan. 

Tom soon discovered that keeping tavern was a failure. 
Sally took to hard drink and hard swearing, particularly 
when referring ^ to her husband. Her tongue became as 



THE OLD TI3IES PAPERS. 131 

foul as it had previously been witty, and, instead of 
attracting, drove away custom. Huling felt compelled 
to sell out and abandon her. 

THE OLD STORY. 

The house then passed into the hands of Mike Davis, 
an Irishman. Davis had formerly lived in North Ala- 
bama, where he had married into a good family. He 
was thought to be doing well; but he took to drink, and 
would lay drunk for a week at a time, leaving his young 
wife exposed to the grandest set of villians on earth. 
The consequence was, she fell; her father came and took 
her home. Davis had now some excuse to drink, and 
in a short time filled a drunkard's grave. Previous to 
the death of Davis he had some dealings with a man by 
the name of John Hook, also from North Alabama, where 
he had maintained a good character, though it was gen- 
erally thought that his claim against Davis was a dis- 
honest transaction. He, however, administered upon the 
estate and took charge of the tavern. An appendage 
that this man affixed to his name gave him some noto- 
riety. I was absent at New Orleans when the change of 
proprietors took place, and Hook, being in a great hurry 
to have his name on the sign, employed a blacksmith to 
paint it, who availed himself of an old custom of using 
an " I" for a "J." Before the sign was put up Hook 
determined to stop crediting, and advertised the fact on 
his sign, which, when finished, read — 

I HOOK FOR CASH ONLY. 

This, instead of relieving the old man, gave him more 
trouble, and it was amusing to see his bald head popping 
out of the bar-room window to correct some ignorant 
fellow who failed to separate the sentences, and how very 
mad he would get when some mischievous loafer would 



132 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

explain that the house had become more circumspect, 
and would in future steal nothing but money. 

Hook kept the house until 1830, when, getting into 
some trouble, he made a hasty sale to Sam Stogden and 
left. 

A MODEL BARKEEPER. 

Sam's heaven was behind a bar, dealing out whisky by 
the mouthful. He was about as cowardly a scoundrel as 
ever lived, and as is common with such knaves, he coveted 
the fame of a bully. To establish this he never let a soft 
fight pass him. He, however, once made a mistake and 
whipped a drunken fellow that happened to have some 
friends among the young bloods, who took Sam out on 
the bluff, and gave him a terrible cowhiding. After this 
he became very careful who he pitched into, and while 
some could curse him to their heart's content, others 
dared not cheap. He professed a very high sense of honor, 
but there was one species of crime he boasted of He 
delighted in intrigues with women ; but how could he 
help it. They all loved him, "not wisely, but too well." 
Such was his vain talk, and he prided himself upon being 
the hero of Mrs. D's ruin. The old bloats knew his weak 
points, and made frequent drinks by practicing on them. 
Sam had managed to hold his position as barkeeper 
through the various changes of the house, and had now 
risen to the highest position, in his eyes, in the countr}^ 
How he contained himself is a matter of wonder. He, 
however, only held the house a few months, when an 
enterprising individual of his sort established the first 
house of ill-fame on the bluff, and took Samuel in as a 
partner. This was a kick above tavern-keeping, and 
Sam jumped at it, when Seaborn Bickerstaff* succeeded 
him as proprietor of the Bell Tavern. Of this man I 
shall say but little, because of the respectability of his 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 133. 

family. His wife was considered a good and shamefully- 
abused woman, and refused to leave him until long 
after he had shamefully abandoned or failed to provide 
for her. A few miserable loafers still hung about the 
house sometime after the more respectable swindlers and 
thieves had left. The winter of 1831-'32 was remarkable, 
not only for its long duration, but for its severity. The 
poor suffered, especially for fuel, and none were poorer 
than the hangers-on of the tavern. They burned first 
the fences, after which the different additions and out- 
houses, leaving the building as it now appears, except 
that the old boards, with which it was walled in, began 
to fall off, when the hogs made a raid upon it, and 
although they were often successfully repulsed, finally 
captured it and routed the last of their bipedal adver- 
saries. 

DECADENCE OF THE GLORY OF THE OLD BELL TAVERN. 

From the time that Huling took charge of the 
old Bell Tavern, gamblers or swindlers — for very 
little legitimate gambling was relied upon — constituted 
the principal class. Confidence games were their chief 
dependence. These wel-e conducted in a manner as far 
ahead of anything of the kind of the present day as it 
is possible to conceive. Now, seldom more than two 
rascals are engaged in them ; then there were from ten to 
twenty. All had their separate and distinct parts to 
perform, which were brought in as so many casualties. 
Had I space I should like to give a few specimens of 
these in order to show their remarkable depth and ingen- 
uity. Several instances of old men might be related 
who came here to recover monej^ and property that their 
sons had been swindled out of, and went home more 
completely cleaned out, if possible, than their boys. 



134 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

Another class of dead-beats was composed of six or 
eight old sots, some of whom lived on Catfish Bay. 
These had all been in Jackson's army, and some had 
held official positions. Notwithstanding they had wholly 
given themselves up to hard drink, they were still treated 
with a degree of respect, on account of their former 
positions. They had a clever and ingenious way of 
making and telling jokes which generall}^ secured a treat 
for all hands. They were looked upon as a sort of 
whisky pensioners, and but few that patronized the bar 
failed to call the old fellows up to join them, and then 
the happy smile that played upon their bloated faces, 
while viewing the amber liquor, would amply repay the 
liberal donors. They had a happy nack of telling 
anecdotes and incidents of the war and of early times 
on this bluff. To these, among others, am I indebted for 
what I know of it prior to my location here. One who 
had ranked as major, and but for whisky might have 
occupied a much higher position, had been connected 
with the Burr and Blannerhasset expedition, and, in the 
capacity of a secret messenger, had visited this point 
several times as early as 1803, and this was designed, he 
said, as the place of rendesvous for Burr's forces. 

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS. 

There were, perhaps, few taverns, in as small a place 
as Memphis was at the time of our storj^ that could 
boast of as many distinguished guests. Among them I 
might name General Andrew Jackson, Colonel Thomas 
H. Benton, Colonel David Crockett, General Sam Hous- 
ton, Governor Poindexter, Honorable John Bell, Felix 
Grundy, and others of less note, and with the exception 
of the two first, I have myself met them all there. 
In my drinking days, and when I sometimes got on a 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 135 

bender, it was afterward some consolation to think that I 
had been " elevated " in good company. So, in order to 
relieve my young friends, if not myself, I will say that I 
have met at the Bell Tavern such men as Major Edwin 
Hickman, Dr. Wyatt Christian, Robert Fearn, John K. 
Balch, Nathaniel Anderson, William D. Ferguson, Til- 
man Bettis, Robert Lawrence and others, whose names 
are above reproach. I also have an indistinct recollec- 
tion of having met one Colonel C. D. McLain, and, not- 
withstanding the bitter opposition of Uncle Ike, I think 

I have met a Mr. J. J. R there. [By the way, I was 

much pleased with his communication in j^our issue of 
the 19th, and have filed it with my own, and hope he will 
come again.] If I am not very much mistaken, the 
sedate Samuel Mosb}^ and Hezekiah Cobb dropped in 
sometimes, when passing, and took a place at the hospi- 
table board of the Old Bell Tavern. It is proper to say 
that after Hook's time I never was in the house, nor do I 
believe that any person claiming respectability then vis- 
ited it. I went there about as long as an}^ of that sort. 
As to the young, frolicsome class, of which I made a 
fair half-hand, I would name such as Gus Young, Tom 
Collins, Green Davis, John Grist, West Toncray, Frank 
McMahon, Tom Phoebus and others, and if the}^ were a 
little too gay at times, I, as the last living representa- 
tive, do conscientiously say that a more high-minded, 
generous and hojiorable set of young men will rarely be 
found at the present daj'. 

REFRESHING. 

I might further add, as an excuse for visiting this den, 
that long after the establishment of Wilson's, John An- 
derson's, Henry James' and Tom Johnson's taverns, 
although they did all the business, aside from that of the 



136 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

gamblers, they were certainly the dullest places one ever 
saw, and in order to enjoy a little excitement, we were 
compelled to go to the Old Bell Tavern. 



SHAKER AG 



Some six miles southeast of Memphis, on the romantic 
banks of Nonconnah creek, lies the interesting suburban 
village of Shakerag, which lays claim to an antiquity 
equal, if not superior, to that of Memphis. Among its 
fearly settlers was one noted for his skill, industry, and 
moral worth generally, though not a Chesterfieldian in 
dress. He was a blacksmith and wagon-maker by trade, 
and many were the Memphians who went to him in order 
to get their work done faithfully and promptly. In honor 
to this individual, the town was named Mechanicsville, 
and I believe is yet known on the records by that name. 
Most likely it would never have been known by any 
other, but for the following incident : 

A number of aristocratic ladies from Mississippi were 
visiting Memphis on a tour of pleasure, and in passing 
through Mechanicsville, found the honest smith, as did 
everybody else, hard at work. He was in the act of put- 
ting a hot tj^re on a new wagon-wheel, and vigorously 
wielding a heavy hand-hammer. From a rent in his 
pants a portion of dilapidated dry goods projected a foot 
or more. The rapid action of his body, alternating oe- 
tween the perpendicular and horizontal, caused this piece 
of drapery to be terribly agitated. The ladies, perhaps 
unaware that the place already had a name, took it upon 
themselves to supply the deficiency, and it has gone by 
the one applied by them ever since. Our worthy friend, 
however, had the honor of suggesting both names. 



1 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 137 



TWO WONDERFUL MEN.— CHARLES LOFLAND 
AND DAVY CROCKETT. 



Editors Appeal. — The Historical Committee of the 
" Old Folks," perchance, may find in the following in- 
cidents something worth putting along with their other 
memories of Memphis thirty-five years ago. I hope I will 
not be considered egotistical because I speak of myself 
sometimes ; but I cannot well pen these notes without it. 

The objects and purposes of the organization of " Old 
Folks " I am attached to, for I was one of the few who 
founded it — but one or two of whom now remain. 

The period of which I speak Fas about the year 1835 or 
'36. Market street was then the southern boundary of the 
business of the town, the old and long established house 
of Nelson & Titus being on the corner of Market and 
Front Row. The postoffice was then on the corner of 
Jackson and Front Row, and was about the center of 
business. The first bank was then established, with 
Robert Lawrence, President, and Charles Lofland, Cash- 
ier. The old building still stands on the corner of 
Winchester and Main, with the large figures 303 painted 
prominently upon the wall. Let me say, too, that par- 
ticularly do I desire the memory of Charles Lofland 
embalmed" in the traditional history of the Old Folks at 
Home. 

It was in the summer time of 1836. There were no 
coal merchants then, as now; but those who could do so, 
laid in their supply for winter, from flatboats, in the 
summer season. Mr. Lofland had bought one hundred 
barrels for the bank. The writer, a stripling of sixteen 



138 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

being in the " hauling business," stepped into the bank 
to get the job of hauling; it was the first time he had 
ever seen that grand old man — grand in statue, intellect 
and in heart. In a few moments the contract for haul- 
ing was closed, not without some apparent misgiving 
on the part of Mr. Lofland of the ability of the youth 
to perform it. It was done, however, in due time. I 
went into the bank to get m}^ pay; he handed me pen 
and paper across the counter, and asked me to make out 
my bill. I did so, and never will I forget the look of 
approbation that beamed from his noble face, and the 
words of encouragement that came warm from his great 
heart — the first that had ever greeted me in this the 
beginning of my rough journey of life. 

Some five years thereafter, I had studied my profession, 
obtained a license to practice law, and. like all poor young 
lawyers, was struggling hard for a bare living. Mr. 
Lofland saw this, and one day said to me: "Billy" (he 
always called me Billy), " I know how it is with most 
young lawyers; sometimes they need mone}^ When- 
ever you want a little just come to the bank and quietly 
see me, and you shall have it. Pay me when you get 
able." I availed myself of his kind offer (for it was a 
God-send,) and frequently received from him small 
sums of ten, fifteen, and twent}^ dollars, until the aggre- 
gated amount reached an hundred or two dollars; and, 
I think to-day, that the happiest moment of my life was 
when, with grateful heart, I was able to hand him, all at 
one time, the money he had voluntarily loaned me. 
He would have no interest, and barely seemed to want 
to take the principal. That man was then at the head 
of a great banking institution. He wielded the monied 
power of this end of the State. Men who led in com- 
merce and in trade paid him court, because he was lib- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 139 

eral, in the extreme, of his financial favors. Many an 
one had he saved from ruin by propping up their totter- 
ing fortunes in the hour of peril. His lieart was bigger 
than his bank, and it broke, and so did his heart; and 
Charles Lofland died, There are one or two now living 
who, together with your humble correspondent and a 
few devoted friends, followed him to his grave, whilst 
many whose fortunes he had founded were too busy to 
give a moment's thought to the man, now dead, who 
had made them. Had he died in the plenitude of his 
power the business houses of these men would have 
been draped in mourning. But, alas ! he lost his power, 
and they forgot him. I never shall — God bless his 
memory. 

In the days of which I speak there were no steam 
ferry-boats, there was simply a ferrj^-flat, propelled by 
" snatch oars," with a noted old negro, named Limus, as 
Captain. The ferry landing was then in the mouth of 
Wolf river. This landing, this flat, these boatmen, are 
all made the more vivid in my recollection by their asso- 
ciation with the time when the immortal Crockett crossed 
the Mississippi, for the last time, on his way to Texas. 
My recollection of how he looked is as vivid as if it 
were yesterday. He had* then closed his career in Ten- 
nessee. Mortified at the mark of disapprobation, man- 
ifested by his recent defeat for his old seat in Congress, 
he had bid a final farewell to that constituency, and to 
that State that he had served so faithfully, to drown his 
disappointment and defeat in the fierce war for inde- 
pendence waged by the infant Texas. The day I saw 
him he had been the guest of a few personal friends, 
Edwin Hickman, C. D. McLean, M. B. Winchester, 
Robert Lawrence, Gus Young, and others, at the City 
Hotel. He had left the hotel, accompanied by these 



140 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

gentlemen on foot, for the ferry landing. I followed in 
silent admiration to the river. He wore that same ver- 
itable coon-skin cap and hunting shirt, bearing upon his 
shoulder his ever faithful rifle. No other equipments, 
save his shot-pouch and powder-horn, do I remember 
seeing. I witnessed the last parting salutations between 
him and those few devoted friends. He stepped into the 
boat. The chain untied from the stob, and thrown with 
a rattle by old Limus into the bow of the boat, it pushed 
away from the shore, and floating lazily down the little 
Wolf, out into the big river, and rowed across to the 
other side, bearing that remarkable man away from his 
State and his kindred forever. Of his sad fate let the 
story of the Alamo tell. 

By permission of my young friend. Col. W. T. Avery — 
although he is now on the dark side of fifty, my mind 
naturally recurs to the days of his boyhood, which to 
me appears but a short time — I make some additions 
to his admirable story, in reference to Col. David Crock- 
ett's last visit to Memphis. It seems that he (the writer) 
was not a witness to the big bender that occurred the 
night before the Colonel left, which is easily accounted 
for by his morality; but more likely the rigid piety of his 
father, and probably if he had • been there he would now 
be ashamed to acknowledge, much less voluntarily ex- 
pose it. But I have none of these sensitive scruples, be- 
sides some of the fellows of that day occasionally made 
me mad, and I intend to tell all I know about their doings. 

Crockett arrived here early in the day, knocked around 
the streets, sometimes alone, but most generally in 
company, seeming to attract but little attention, until 
after night. I was of the opinion that there was some- 
thing in the wind, and hurried up town at an early hour. 
I found the Colonel with some dozen or less friends at a 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 141 

house known as the Union Hotel; the name was perhaps 
suggested by its being built half brick and half frame. 
It was built by old Henry James, in 1830, away down 
town, Winchester street being then its southern business 
boundary ; at the time of our story, it was kept by a man 
named Jeifries, who afterward flourished at Little Rock. 

The question of liquor readily suggested itself, as it 
would yet, and Jefl'ries kept a bar of course, which was 
then considered as necessary an appendage to a tavern 
as a tender is now to a locomotive. But a tavern bar was 
then very difl"erent from what they are now, and as Jef- 
ries' was a fair specimen, I will describe it : It was a kind 
of corner cupboard from the counter down ; planked up 
tight, except a one-and-a-half by a three feet door, 
through which the barkeeper crept when entering; 
from the counter up it was latticed with an eight-by-ten 
inch aperture, through which a bottle and glass could 
be chucked. This kind of bar, however, would not do for 
a dozen gentlemen to stand up to and enjoy a social glass, 
so while the barkeeper was getting down, preparatory to 
crawling into his trap, it was proposed that we should 
go to Hart's Saloon, which was on Market street. I will 
state that the old Union Hotel, the brick part of which 
is still standing, or rather falling, is in a most dilapida- 
ted condition. It can now be seen a few doors above 
the Exchange Building, on Front street. 

Hart's was a bakery and confectionery, and, also, a 
drinking establishment, and by far the finest fitted up 
concern of the kind in the town. Here decanters and 
glasses were soon out, with ample counter-room for all 
hands. Everybody drank and seemed in the finest 
humor, until Gus. Young, who had ordered the liquor, 
called out to Hart that he would pay him for that to- 
morrow, when Hart called his attention to a large card, 



142 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

tacked on the wall at the farther end of the counter. 

Boyal G. Hart, who generally represented his name with 

a figure of that vital organ, had some very foolish ways. 

He considered himself very talented, particularly in the 

way of making rhymes, (poetry, as he called it). His 

last, and, perhaps, master-piece, was represented on this 

card, which had very recently been printed and stuck 

up, and which read : 

" Since man to man is so unjust, 

'Tis hard to tell what man to trust. 
I've trusted many — to my sorrow — 
So pay to-day, and I'll trust to-morrow." 

Gus, instead of being carried away, as was expected, 
with admiration at the grandeur of the sentiment, got 
mad, and was about to haul Hart over the counter and 
whip him, when Crockett and others interfered. 

" There must be no fighting," shouted Davy. " I'll 
pay for this liquor." 

" No," responded several others in chorus, " I'll pay 
for it," 

*' No," cried Gus, " none of you shall pay for it. Toddy, 
lend me five dollars." 

This was addressed to Colonel Dixon, (nick-named 
Toddy) afterwards Mayor, who shelled out a " V." 

" Here," said Gus, " take your pay out of that." 

While Hart was making the change. Toddy, who had 
became very liberal, called for another round. 

"No," shouted Gus, "let's go to McCool's." 

This met with general approbation. Hart, who loved 
money better, if possible, than his own poetical effusions, 
began to apologize: 

" Mr. Young," said he, "I assure you I meant no 
offense." 

" Well, what the devil did you call my attention to that 
d — d foolery for, then?" said Gus. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 143 

This was too crushing, and poor Eoyal let down, and 

the crowd commenced leaving. Hart appeared deeply 

chagrined to see gentlemen quitting his splendid saloon 

and going to a common grocery, and, doubtless, distressed 

to think that one of the leading men of Memphis should 

be entirely devoid of " music in his soul," when, turning 

to the offending card, he discovered that other lines had 

been added, with a pencil, on the lower margin, which 

read : 

" Then, go to h — 1, yon d — d fool ; 
We'll go and driuk with Neil McCool." 

The barkeeper told me afterward that he had never seen 
Hart so mad before; that he snatched the card down 
and tore it into fifty pieces, and that he accused me, 
among others, of perpetrating the outrage; in fact, he 
charged me, to my face, with it. I replied that he had 
better be careful or he would give me credit for being a 
greater poet than himself. 

On going to McCool' s, which was only about twenty 
steps distant, (the old building stands there j^et, on the 
southeast corner of Market street and First alley) 
several of the crowd, which had greatly increased, gath- 
ered old Davy up, and carried him, on their shoulders, 
into the house, stood him upon the counter and called 
for a speech. He made one, and I think I can give it 
verbatum : 

"My friends," said he, "I suppose you are all aware 
that I was recently a candidate for Congress in an ad- 
joining District. I told the voters that if they would 
elect me I would serve them to the best of my ability; 
but if they did not, they might go to h — 1, and I would 
go to Texas. I am on my way now," he exclaimed, and 
jumped off the counter, and a general shout followed. 

But the crowd was doomed to have more trouble. Neil 



144 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

McCool was a fastidious bachelor, who had arrived at 
that time of life when the appellation of " old " becomes 
very offensive — at least such was his case. His was the 
largest and most general stock of groceries in town. 
Though his establishment was very plain, and not to 
compare, in style, with Hart's, it was still remarkable 
for neatness and order. He was scrupulously tidy in 
his dress, and his hair, of a dark sandy color, was always 
as smooth and glossy as brush and oil could make it. 
Neil had that day newly covered his counter with a fine 
oil cloth, which he would not have allowed anyone to set 
their hat upon for fear of soiling; and now to see a 
huge pair of stogy boots, with the extremities of a two 
hundred pounder in them, stamping over it, was too 
much for him to put up with quietl}^, and the more he 
thought of it, the more angry he became. He was in the 
act of crushing a very hard lump of sugar, in the bottom 
of a tumbler, with a stick made for the purpose. Sway- 
ing his body back and forth over the counter, as he bore 
his weight on the crusher, and at the same time venting 
his displeasure, without raising his eyes, he addressed 
Gus (who was standing opposite him, and whom he con- 
sidered the leader of the crowd, ) in the following words : 

" I would have you know, Mr. Young, that such treat- 
ment is intolerable." 

Gus, who had not recovered from his first affront, was 
in no condition to submit to further, made a snatch at 
Neil's head and jerked the whole scalp off, revealing a 
fact unknown, at least to any in that crowd, that the old 
fellow's head was perhaps the baldest part of his body. 
I have seen mad men before and since, but I think 
McCool surpassed them all. He first sent the crusher, and 
then the tumbler, at Gus' head, but he aimed high, and 
the latter went smashing through the transom ; he then. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 145 

leaped the counter, where he was caught b}" a half dozen 
stout fellows and held. The balance of us had enough to 
do to hold our sides, for I think the most laughable 
scene I ever witnessed was old Mack's naked head, red 
as scarlet with rage, bobbing and swaj^ng in all direc- 
tions, trying to get loose from his captors; and it was 
certain that he wanted to fight. He never was known to 
swear before, but he swore awfully that night, and wound 
up by ordering us all out of the house, and that, too, 
without getting paid for his liquor, and all, save a few 
who took sugar, had drank. Gus, after a short inspec- 
tion of the wig, gave it a toss and threw it up on a high 
rack, among a lot of wood and willow ware. After which 
we all retired to the street, where the question of whether 
we should go further or break up and go home was de- 
bated. 

Crockett advocated going home, on the ground that it 
was a bad night for a frolic, unless we wanted a fight, 
and although he was in hunt of a fight, he did not want 
it on this side of the Mississippi river; that we had been 
virtually ordered out of one, and actually out of the other^ 
of the only two decent drinkeries of the place. But he 
was in a small minorit3\ Others swore he should not 
leave Memphis under such unfavorable impressions. 
We, however, to get rid of the rabble portion of the crowd, 
which was now about an hundred strong, started off in 
small squads and different directions, but soon came to- 
gether at old Jo. Cooper's, on Main, above Winchester 
street. Bob Lawrence went to the door, and after giving 
it several thumps, called out— " Freight ! Freight!!" At 
that time we had no packets or agencies, and our mer- 
chants were under the necessity of going to the landing 
at any hour to receive their frequent shipments. Old 
Jo. soon got up and opened the door, when in rushed 

10 



146 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

about twenty-five, and the door was shut. Cooper looked 
surprised, but soon recognized all the crowd, even to 
Crockett. He was also an old bachelor, and many of the 
peculiarities of McCool would apply to him. He was 
by no means liberal, as a general thing; but on this 
occasion brought out liquors in quantities. He had 
the largest supply and the best quality on the bluff, but 
only sold by the barrel or cask. It is needless to say we 
all got tight — I might say, yes, very tight. Men who 
never were tight before, and never have been tight since, 
were certainly very tight then. I can prove this by my 
old friend, Neil B. Holt, that is, if he did not fall too soon 
to observe how others came out, and I have an indistinct 

recollection that one Judge H. G. S , was on a high 

horse that night. I might give the names of man}^ 
others, but, with three or four exceptions, they are all 
dead. It was a gay crowd. Crockett made several of 
his peculiar speeches, as did several others, and the best 
of feeling prevailed to a late hour, when we broke up. 

Crockett's first visit. 

Having said this much in reference to the last visit of 
Colonel Crockett to the Bluff City, I now propose to go 
back and give a brief sketch of his first advent. It ap- 
pears that in the fall and winter of 1823 he and some of 
his neighbors put their labor and capital together, cut 
and split staves sufficient to load an ordinary sized flat- 
boat, which they built, launched and loaded, in readiness 
for the spring rise. When that occurred, they kissed their 
wives and children, and, amid tears and prayers, took a 
farewell — which might reasonably be feared was their 
last — loosened their cable and sufl'ered themselves borne 
down the then turbulent waters of the Obion. What 
adventures they met with, if any, prior to their entrance 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 147 

into the Mississippi, I have never heard. I am inclined 
to the belief that all was favorable until they came 
within sight of Memphis. 

Their boat was an open one, with the exception of a 
small cabin at the stern, which, although of a democratic 
appearance, was close and comfortable. To enter this 
cabin it was necessary to descend through a two-by-three- 
foot hatchway down a ladder. This apartment, as, per- 
haps, all are aware, was used lor eating and sleeping. 
The head of the Old Hen has always been considered 
dangerous, and particularly at that time, as the river ap- 
peared undetermined on which side of it she should 
make her main channel, and a number of huge snags 
stood out as though contesting the right of way on either. 
It was certainly very imprudent in our adventurers to 
undertake to run that part of the river at night, and that 
the eyes of Captain Crockett should be closed in sleep at 
the very time that their vigilance was most required; 
but so it ^was. Although the Obion was putting on Mis- 
sissippi airs, the Mississippi herself was at her calmest 
stage, midway between high and low water. In view of 
which he may not have acted so culpable, after all. 
Having stood the first watch, and the morn of a new day 
having set in, he resigned his place to the next in com- 
mand, and, to use a sea phrase, went below, doused his 
duds and turned in, and was soon in the embrace of mor- 
pheus. I am inclined to believe that those on watch 
were, ere long, in the same fix. If so, they were brought 
to their waking senses very suddenly, yet too late to 
avert the catastrophe. Some two hundred yards above 
the head of the Old Hen island, hung one of those ter- 
rors to early navigation known as " sawyers," a kind of 
snag, being originally trees of the tallest and heaviest 
character, which having been uprooted by the under- 



148 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

mining current, drift down in an upright position until 
their roots come in contact with a bar, where, after drag- 
ging for some distance, become secured by the sand and 
gravel settling around them; — the trunk, in a more or 
less inclined position, is soon stripped of its limbs, and, 
"by the force of the current, acquires an evolution unsur- 
passed for regularity by any invention of man — its head 
at one minute settling beneath the surface, and at the 
next rising eight or ten feet above it, with a force that 
would crush through the strongest vessel or lift it bodily 
in the air — for a few seconds calming the waters by yiled- 
ing to its current, again dashing them back into huge 
waves; and, in this particular case, forming diverging 
lines, visible for miles below, assigning each line, as also 
everything else, to that side of the island to which it was 
turned by this obstruction. It appeared like some raging 
monster endeavoring to break its fettering chains, or a 
subdued, wingless dragon, doing perpetual penance or 
paying devout homage to some overpowering bul^ invisible 
deity, seated on the head of the island, and to appease 
whose wrath would occasionally sacrifice the lives or 
property of hapless mortals — among whom I am sorry to 
include that of my hero and friend. Colonel David Crock- 
ett and his unfortunate associates. 

Notwithstanding the danger was loud, and no doubt 
visible, the Obion specimen of marine architecture was 
allowed to drift, broadside, upon the sawyer, which 
seemed to yield to the pressure until it was fairly over 
its vibrating points, when, rising in its might, it severed 
the boat in twain and divided the spoils between the con- 
tending currents. Fortunately the load was of sufficient 
buoyancy to keep its top above the surface, and thus the 
lives of the crew were saved, but not without extraordi- 
nary efforts on the part of at least one of them. Crock- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 149 

ett, whose snore had for a few minutes kept time to the 
varying sound of the disturbed waters, midway one of 
his highest notes, finding that water had taken the place 
of air in supplying his lungs, sprang from his bunk up 
to his middle in water, reached the ladder, and got his 
head above deck before the waves had closed the hatch 
upon him, and thus saved himself from a watery grave, 
though in rather an unsightlj^ plight. It seems that the 
half of the boat on which he found himself took the near- 
est, schute or strongest current, as it arrived in advance 
of her detatched part in front of the bluff just as the 
first raj's of the sun were cast on the tops of the lofty 
trees of the opposite shore. By loud cries and signals 
of distress their situation was observed, and skiffs were 
sent to their relief. Crockett proved to be the most 
pitiable object of the cast aways, as all the others had at 
least breeches on. There he sat, shivering with cold, 
under the eyes of all the citizens, who had assembled on 
the bluff on hearing of the disaster. Winchester being 
among the first to witness his condition, taking an ocu- 
lar measurement of his person, procured the necessary 
raiment, hastened down and soon after returned, sup- 
porting the unfortunate adventurer, whom he conducted 
to his residence. An hour or two later, by the aid of the 
kind-hearted Mar}^, with a good fire, stimulants, etc., he 
appeared at the store door in the finest suit of clothes, it 
was supposed, he had then ever worn. [Some allusion is 
made to this event in my stor}^ of Eawlings and Win- 
chester.] Other persons were also liberal to the unfor- 
tunates in this affair, for those were liberal daj^s, and 
Crockett and his friends were toasted around to consid- 
erable extent; when, warmed up by a few imbibings, he 
became eloquent, told jokes and laughable stories, audit 
is said that Winchester became so pleased with him that 



150 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

he not only suggested, but urged him to become a candi- 
date for Congress and it may be that the misfortune at 
the head of the Old Hen was the starting point of hi& 
future importance and notoriety. 

The following anecdotes, never before published, will 
serve to show that if our public men were then more con- 
scientious after election, they were not more scrupulous 
in the means resorted to for securing office than the pol- 
iticians of the present day. In one of his early canvas- 
ings Crockett had for a competitor a Colonel Cook, wha 
concluded to take Crockett on what he supposed his most 
vulnerable point, to-wit, decency, and endeavored to show 
to the voters the great necessity of elevating that dis- 
trict to something like an average degree of respectabil- 
ity in the councils of the nation. Crockett, seeing that 
his competitor was likely to get him in this way, manu- 
factured a story to show that he was the last man that 
ought to assume such a position. Cook now thought he 
had him certain, and sent off in different directions for 
witnesses to prove that Crockett had lied on him. At 
the place selected for this grand expose Crockett had the 
opening speech, and although aware of what was coming, 
appeared to be entirely ignorant of it until he reached a 
point where, showing up his opponent on the decency 
question, he added, " and now, fellow-citizens, he has sent 
off and procured about a dozen witnesses to prove that I 
have told a lie on him." [Here followed a hearty laugh 
by the crowd.] "Whj^," he continued, "if he had asked 
me I would have acknowledged it and saved him all that 
trouble and expense. [Another burst of laughter and 
applause.] I have as good a right to lie on him as he 
has on me, and we have been lying on each other ever 
since we started out." Tremendous applause and laugh- 
ter. Here, Colonel Cook, greatly excited, arose and ex- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 151 

claimed, " I withdraw from this canvass. I will never 
consent to represent a people who applaud a man that 
acknowledges himself a liar." Here the hurrahs for 
Crockett drowned his further efforts to make himself 
heard, when he left the stand in utter disgust. 

THE WAY CROCKETT BEAT HUNTSMAN. 

Adam Huntsman opposed Crockett in his two last can- 
vasses for Congress. In the first he failed, but succeeded 
in the second, and it is thought would have triumphed 
in the former, but for the following trick of Crockett's: 
They stopped one night on their rounds at a well-to-do 
farmer's, who was a great Jackson man, and of course 
for Huntsman, though he did not admire his rakish pro- 
pen sities. Crockett and Peg-leg, as Huntsman was called, 
in consequence of having a wooden leg, were put in the 
same room to sleep. The house was of the ordinajy 
country kind of that day — two log-cabins, with a passage 
between, and a porch extending the whole length in the 
rear, with shed-rooms at each end, in one of which the 
two candidates were placed, while the farmer's daughter 
occupied the other. After all had retired Huntsman 
went to sleep and Crockett to planning. An idea oc- 
curred to him which he carried out in this wa}^ Getting 
up quietly, he opened the door, taking a chair, and walk- 
ing stealthily across to the young lady's room, made an 
apparent efi'ort to force her door, which awoke the girl, 
who uttered a scream, when Crockett, hastily catching 
the chair by the back, and placing his foot on the lower 
round, using it as a leg, hurried back to his room, 
dropped the chair, hopped into bed and went to hard 
snoring. The next moment the farmer rushed in, and 
was about to kill Huntsman, whose protestations of in- 
nocence he paid no attention to. " Oh you can't fool 



152 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

me," he exclaimed, " I know you too well, and heard that 
darned old peg leg of yourn too plain." The consequence 
was that the farmer, with numbers of others, changed 
their votes, and Crockett was triumphantly elected. 
Huntsman would never have ventured to stand another 
canvass had not Crockett considered the joke too good to 
keep. 

This mode of conducting a political canvass, although 
inaugurated by Crockett, became pretty general, and was 
considered legitimate. I heard of two opposing candi- 
dates for Legislative honors, who tried it on in this wise : 
One of them a rough, free and easy sort of a fellow, had 
had the misfortune to lose a finger, which his opponent 
determined to take advantage of, and get a hitch on him, 
as such tricks were termed. So, after the canvas had 
progressed to near its termination, in a speech he brought 
ought the following story: " In a district," said he, " in 
which mj^ competitor once lived, he had a neighbor who 
possessed a very fine crib of corn which he discovered 
was being depredated on by some unknown person, and 
concluded to set a trap for the thief. The next morning 
after doing so he went to the crib and found the trap 
closed, with considerable blood sprinkled over and around 
it. On closer examination he found a part of a man's 
finger, taken off at the middle joint. The owner of the 
corn, considering the offender sufficiently punished, made 
no effort to discover him, nor will I make any charges, 
but I would like to have m}^ competitor come forward 
and show his right hand." He then stepped aside to 
allow his opponent to come forward, who advanced to the 
front, holding up his right hand, and turning it so that 
all the crowd might have an opportunity of seeing it, 
when lo and behold the forefinger was gone, from the 
middle joint. After all had had an opportunity ot see- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 153 

ing, he calmly turned and, without a word, took his seat. 
Considerable sensation prevailed; the friends of the 
speaker were in high glee, nudging their adversaries and 
adding, amid great rejoicing, "The Major's got him, got 
him sure," while the others looked rather blank. The 
Major again advanced with a triumphant smile; yet the 
thing had not come up to his expectations. The cool 
indifference of his opponent disappointed him, yet the 
effect on the crowd augured well. "Fellow-citizens," he 
continued, "j^ou must judge for j^ourselves; I make no 
charges, but," turning to his adversary", "I hope my 
friend may be able to explain the very singular coinci- 
dence." [Great and prolonged applause.] He soon after 
closed his speech, when the stump-fingered candidate 
took the stand with apparently more than usual vivacity, 
flourishing his defective hand as though he were proud 
of its omission. When he came to the proper place he 
remarked, as though it had nearly escaped his mind, " I 
must say a few words about my competitor's story of the 

CORN-CRIB, the STEEL-TRAP aud the BLOODY FINGER. He 

hopes I will explain. I shall do no such thing; but I 
will tell 5^ou another story, which I think will lay his 
perfectly in the shade. My competitor once lived in 
another district, and had a near neighbor; whether this 
neighbor had or had not a fine crib of corn, I cannot say; 
but he certainly had a fine stock of hogs. Every few 
daj^s, or rather nights, one of his hogs would be missing. 
He determined to watch for the nocturnal visitor and give 
him a warm reception. Loading his gun with fine bird- 
shot, he took his position. After waiting until a late 
hour, he observed a man coming along stealthily with an 
axe on his shoulder." [I must here explain that the 
Major had a limping gait, which the narrator imitated to 
perfection as he went dodging and squatting along the 



154 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

stand, showing the advance of the party in quest of hog 
meat.] " Having come upon one that seemed to answer 
his demand he let fly the axe, then squatted, and awaited 
the result. Everything appeared favorable, when, stoop- 
ing to pick up the hog, he presented a broad mark, which 
the owner of the hog taking advantage of, let fly the 
contents of his gun and everlastingly peppered the limp- 
ing adventurer, who, with a sudden jerk, brought him- 
self to an upright position. Slapping his hand on the 
damaged part, and uttering a half stifled 3^ell, he bounded 
oflT with a halting bound and skip," [which was imitated 
to life by the narrator, causing peal after peal of laugh- 
ter.] "Now, fellow-citizens, I do not charge that my 
competitor was connected with this affair, but I must 
insist that he come forward, take down his pants and 
show his — back." Stepping aside, he motioned the Ma- 
jor to advance, who, with a ghastly smile, shook his head. 
"Come, come," continued stumpy, "I showed my 
hand, now show j^our back." But the same ghastly smile 
and ominous shake was all the answer given. Again the 
nudge went through the crowd, but this time by the 
other part}^, who returned the annoying words, slightly 
changed — " He's got the Major, got him bad;" to which 

" d d if he hasn't," was the common but sorrowful 

response. 

It is needless to add that Stump-finger had business 
in Nashville the following fall — while the limping disci- 
ple, having become disgusted with Crockettism and 
hitches, retired to the shades. 

I also indorse all my friend has said in reference to the 
noble qualities of my old friend Mr. Charles Lofland. 

The following letter taken from a Nashville paper, 
written during the Colonel's last term in Congress, 
shows his opposition to President Jackson's administra- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 155 

tion, and expresses great anxiety to get away from the 
capital, yet he clearlj^ evinced an equal desire during the 
next canvass to go back, but Jacksonism proved too 
strong. 

Washington City, 15th June, 1834. 

Dear Sir: Your favor of the 11th inst. came safe to 
hand by this morning's mail, and I hasten to answer it. 
I am well — and I hope these few lines may find you in the 
alike. I am beginning to think the time long that we are 
to remain in session, as I have not the least hope of doing 
any act to relieve the country. On the day before yes- 
terday the house rejected Mr. Clay's resolutions by lay- 
ing them on the table, and I consider the last hope gone 
of retaining the laws and Constitution. 

I now look forward to our adjournment, with as much 
interest as ever did a poor convict in the penitentiary to 
see his last day come. We have done but one act, and 
that is that the will of Andrew, the first king, is to be the 
law of the land. He has tools and slaves enough in Con- 
gress to sustain him in anything that he may wish to 
effect. 

I thank God I am not obe of them. I do consider 
him a greater t3'rant than Cromwell, Caesar or Bonaparte. 
I hope his day of glory is near at an end! If it were 
not for the Senate God only knows what would become 
of the country. I still have hopes that all is not lost 
while we have such a guard as the Senate. The people 
will sustain the Senate, and if so, they will have the 
laws and Constitution. I must close. With great respect 
your friend and obedient servant, 

Wm. T. Yeatman. DAVID CROCKETT. 

The letter is written on a regular size letter sheet, was 
folded and sealed with a wafer, after the style of that 



156 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

day, bore the post-mark "City of Washington, June 17," 
and the following superscription : 

Free, D. Crockett, Wm T. Yeatman, Fishkill Landing, 
N. York." The handwriting is easy and shows an un- 
embarrassed use of the xDcn. 

I am indebted to my friend DuPre for the appended 
story of David Crockett: 

In his day no man was more famous in the annalls of 
American politics than David Crockett, the eccentric 
representative from this District. 

Early in the spring of 1836, there appeared at Nacog- 
doches, Texas, eleven stalwart men who proposed to 
enlist for six months in the army of the republic, and 
assist in driving the Mexicans out of the borders and 
gain the independence of Texas. 

Col. John Forbes, formerly of Ohio, but now living at 
Nacogdoches, who was at the first " alcalde " of Texas, 
afterwards commissary-general of the army at the battle 
San Jacinto, and who has filled many important posi- 
tions of honor and trust in the State of his adoption, 
swore in the eleven recruits referred to; but when he 
came to that portion of the oath which contained the 
promised allegiance " to the Republic of Texas, or any 
other government that might be established," one of 
them advanced a pace forward and declined to subscribe 
to it, for, said he, " I am a republican, and believe in a 
republican form of government, and if any other kind 
of government results from this revolution, I will 
never support nor defend it. Col. Forbes, seeing that 
the point was well taken, immediately erased the object- 
ionable portion and substituted in its stead, "or any 
other republican government that might be established," 
which was satisfactory^ to all concerned, and they were 
forthwith mustered into service. 






THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 15T 

The spokesman, who would not swear allegiance to any 
government save that it was " republican," was David 
Crockett, who, together with Bowie and that brave and 
noble band, was so foully and brutally murdered by the 
Mexicans at the Alamo at San Antonio, Texas, in April, 
1836, and the beautiful monument made of stones from 
the Alamo on the portico of the State-house at Austin, 
attests the love and affection in which Crockett and the 
ill-fated garrison at the Alamo are held by the people of 
Texas. The sentiment uttered by David Crockett on his 
entrance into the "Army of Texas " does honor to his 
patriotism and should be cherished and prized by every 
true American. 



SINGULAR— A REMARKABLE MEETING. 



Thirty-odd years ago, when Memphis contained less 
than two thousand inhabitants, two strange ladies, 
among others, met in a store in the city of Londondery, 
Ireland, when one, overhearing the other remark that 
she was about to sail for America, advanced, and the fol- 
lowing colloquy ensued : 

First lady — Did I understand you to say, ma'm that 
you were going to America? 

Second lady — Yes, ma'm. 

First ladj^ — I am also going to America. 

Second lady — To what part of America? 

First lady— To the States. 

Second lady — I am also going to the States. To what 
State are you going, if you please, ma'm? 



158 HISTORY OP MEMPHIS. 

First lady — To the State of Tennessee. 

Second lady — Ah! indeed: I am also going to the 
State of Tennessee. To what part of Tennessee, may I 
ask, are you going? 

First lady — To the town of Memphis. 

Second lady — Is it possible? Why, I, too, am going to 
the town of Memphis. Are you acquainted in Memphis, 
ma'm? 

First lady — I have a friend there. Are you acquainted 
in Memphis? 

Second lady — I have a friend there. 

Of course the ladies traveled together and soon found 
their adventures to be of a similar character, viz: the 
closing of matrimonial engagements. They arrived 
safely, and soon after married to the gentlemen alluded 
to as friends. 

Both of these ladies are still here. One, however, 
is a widow, while the other is the wife of one of our 
most prominent citizens. 



I 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 159 



FIRST COURTHOUSE IN SHELBY COUNTY. 



It appears that many of our citizens, even of the Old 
Folks, were not aware that Memphis was the original 
county seat of Shelby count}^, until after hearing or 
reading the able address of Col. Winchester, at the Old 
Folks' Barbecue; and as the building in which the first 
judicial body convened is still standing, and as there are 
other historical events connected with it, I have thought 
it of sufficient importance to fill a place in the Appeal. 

Immediately in the rear of a large brick building on 
the northeast corner of Main and Winchester streets, on. 
which, in large figures, 303 appears, and in connection 
with which there is also some history which might not 
prove uninteresting, there stands an old two story 
wooden house ; it was originally but one-story and built 
of logs, but as the logs were handsomely hewed and put 
up in neat style, it presented a more tidy appearance 
than most of the neighboring structures ; besides, being 
more than ordinarily large, it was used for public and 
religious meetings, balls, shows etc. It was the first 
building on the bluff that acquired the appellation of the 
Meeting House. The word church was not common at 
that time. I do not wish to be understood as saying that 
the first sermon was preached in this house. As to 
who preached the first sermon, that is a question I un- 
dertook to solve over forty years ago, not because I was 
particularly interested in it, but because there were three 
claimants for the honor, neither worthy of any praise for 
their morality, or public or private virtues. One of these 
I will venture to mention, as he no doubt will be remem- 



160 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

bered by some of the Old Folks. His name was Spur- 
lock, a blacksmith by trade, and everything that was 
bad by profession — at least such was his general char- 
acter. He lived at Greenock, the original county-seat 
of Crittenden county, Arkansas. There were quite a 
number of itinerant preachers passing around, who gen- 
erally made up in zeal what they lacked in knowledge, 
and occasionally a flatboatman would " play upon a harp 
of a thousand strings " to the amusement, if not to the 
edification, of a motly crowd at the landing. I believe 
that a Methodist circuit-rider took this point in his 
rounds at a very early day. To the colored population 
belongs the honor of having the first resident preacher, 
in the person of Uncle Harry Lawrence, whose location 
here preceded that of Eeverend Elijah Cofl^ey. 

I have thus digressed because I have been repeatedly 
called upon for information in reference to the church 
here in early times, which, I am sorry to say, I know very 
little about. But to get back to court, which, with due 
deference to Colonel Winchester, I don't think knew 
itself, or it never would have perpetrated that outrage 
on my old frier d, Padd}^ Meagher, and were it not too 
late I might take an appeal. I do not think that more 
than one session was ever held in the " meeting-house," 
as an idea prevailed that a lawful court could not be 
held other than on Court-square, or at least, that the 
square would revert to the proprietors if not used for 
the purposes indicated by its name — and the Colonel 
ought to have kuown that the one hundred and seventy- 
five dollar appropriation was only for a temporary build- 
ing, which was erected on the square, sufficiently remote 
from the center to admit of a proper and becoming 
edifice. If the men of Memphis were few in number 
they were not entirely without public spirit. This old 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 161 

building remained until a comparatively recent date, 
and was used as a church and school-house. 

But while our leading men were providing the means 
and discussing the plans for the erection of a permanent 
court house, a secret movement was at work in a neigh- 
boring and rival town to strip us of the ornament — and 
I would remind our Raleigh friends, who thought them- 
selves so unjustly dealt with in the late Courthouse 
removal, that they were, at most, only repaid in their own 
coin, as the first notice that the people of Memphis had, 
forty -five years ago, that such an act was in contempla- 
tion, was that the bill had already passed, declaring 
Raleigh the Count}^ Seat of Shelby county. 

But if Memphis had cause of sorrow for the loss of her 
court, she had, about the same time, cause of joy in the 
establishment of the first newspaper, the "Western Ad- 
vocate," edited and pulished by Thos. Phoebus, and m 
the same room where convened the first court of justice, 
and in which sinners had alternately been called to the 
dance and to repentance, that resounded at one time to 
the eloquence of our early orators and statesmen, and 
again to the boisterous laugh of the rabble at the an- 
tics of a buffoon, was set up the first press that made 
its impression in the District. For this purpose the 
house was used for several years. It appears to have 
been for some time in litigation. After its discontin- 
uance as a printing office it became the property of Setk 
Wheatly, who added another story to it, weatherboarded 
the whole and converted it into a dwelling. Wm. R. 
Smith, afterwards purchased it, since which time I have 
lost its run. 



162 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 



REMINISCENCES OF FOY'S POINT. 



As the Point, on the Arkansas shore, opposite Mem- 
phis, has again become a place of importance, and is 
bound so to continue, I thought a sketch of its early 
history might be interesting to the readers of the Appeal, 
and I regret that a more full and perfect account of the 
incidents connected with it, and names of its first set- 
tlers cannot possibly now be obtained. 

At what time Judge Benjamin Foy settled on the Point 
I do not remember to have heard, but it certainly must 
have been about the commencement of the present cen- 
tury. Foy's Point, as it was called, held a high charac- 
ter, not only as a very important landing, but as the 
center of the most healthy, intelligent, and moral com- 
munity between Cape Girardeau and Natchez, which was 
owing most likely to the example of the Judge, who, 
although he held his court at the Post of Arkansas, ex- 
erted his more direct influence at home, being one of that 
class of men whose very presence is a terror to evil-doers, 
so the Tennessee shore was then considered by far their 
safest refuge. 

I think his was an old Spanish grant, but in this I 
may be mistaken. At all events it was considered safer 
than most others at that time, which, perhaps, induced 
the more prudent settlers to purchase of him. He also 
appears to have possessed a far more extensive and cor- 
rect knowledge of the country than any other man in it, 
and his statements were held by the government as the 
most reliable, which caused the point to be visited, not 
only by many of our most able statesmen of that day, 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 163 

but also "by distinguished tourists from foreign countries. 
Among the latter I might name the great philosopher, 
historian, poet, deist, etc., Volney, who spent the winter 
of 1805 with the Judge, in quest of knowledge. It is 
said that his visit to this part of the country was to see 
and examine the mounds. It is believed by some that 
these mounds were built by an antediluvian race. It 
seems that the race inhabiting this country at the time 
of its discovery by Europeans had no traditional knowl- 
edge of them. There are now at the Appeal office many 
most remarkable relics of vessels, vases and ornaments, 
taken from these mounds. Whether the great antiqua- 
rian found anything to further his purposes may be 
inferred from the fact that a large portion of his Ruins 
were written in the then splendid red mansion of Judge 
Benjamin Foy. The old escritoire belonging to the 
Judge, on which Volney wrote, remained in the family 
until the old man's death. Judge Overton, M. B. Win- 
chester, John M. Lea and others, made efforts to obtain 
it, but it seemed neither of those succeeded. 

The notorious Aaron Burr also made frequent visits to 
the Point about the same time, though I have not heard 
that the Judge, or any of the settlers, were suspected of 
being connected with his supposed schemes or expedi- 
.tions. 

Judge Foy had two brothers, Isaac and Henry, who, 
although good, industrious men, fell behind old Ben in 
talent and weight of character. Isaac's farm centered 
about opposite Adams street, and contained some thirty 
or forty acres in cultivation. I was well acquainted with 
the old man, and particularly so with his son Spillman, 
a young man about my own age, born and buried on the 
place. We spent many happy days together, hunting 
•and fishing. I have listened for hours to his tales of 



164 HISTORY OP MEMPHIS. 

early days. The Judge's farm lay up at the point, which 
has fallen in considerably since. It was much more ex- 
tensive, and better improved than Isaac's. Henry first 
settled above the Judge, in the bend, and his heart 
was set on the Chickasaw Bluff, and he seemed to 
have anticipated its future greatness. He first pur- 
chased an Indian hut, about the foot of Court street, 
which was one way of acquiring a color of title, and 
which some thought would be treated as a pre-emption 
right, though no such law existed at the time. His farm 
was, I think, unusually large for that day, extending 
from Jefferson, if not Adams, below Union, to a skirt of 
woods, and back to or beyond Third, besides an exten- 
sive field on the batture, which he had also in cultivation. 
There were, however, some spots of woodland left stand- 
ing, one of which was at Court Square. He built a house 
on the bluff, below the foot of Jefferson street, which 
took the shine off brother Ben's big red house at the 
Point; paled in a handsome graveyard, in which some of 
our prominent citizens were buried. He also made a 
handsome little lake, known loug after as Lake Walker, 
and planted a fine orchard, from which I and others still 
living gathered fruit as late as 1834. I would like to 
continue this subject further, but my story is on the other 
side of the river. 

THE FOYS. 

The Foys, I think, were of German descent, so were sev- 
eral other families at or near the Point. There were also 
some old Spanish families still remaining, one of which 
was named Grandy, who married a Miss Spillman, sister- 
in-law of Isaac Foy, but most of this nationality seemed 
to prefer marrying among the Indians and have now 
wholly disappeared. From one of these I received an 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 165 

old Spanish tradition of this bluff, which, in the hands 
of a Marryatt, might furnish material for a first-class 
novel, and although out of place, yet as I may never 
have another opportunity, and as you, Mr. Editor, have 
assumed the responsibility of saying in reference to this 
story, that I would go back to the days of Governor 
Gayoso, I will try to make your words good, at least to a 
slight extent, though under no obligation to do so. 

THE FIRST MEMPHIS LOVE STORY. 

The original Spanish fort, which stood where the 
county jail now stands, was first commanded by Don 
Gallosso, who had a beautiful daughter named Mareha, 
beloved by all, and especially by a young Don, who 
sought her hand in marriage, and being in every way 
worthy, was accepted. Although a great favorite, the 
young man had an inplacable enemy, who was no less a 
personage than the priest and father confessor of the 
young lady, who after having failed to predjudice her 
against her lover, finally refused most positively to sol- 
emnize the nuptials. This preyed so heavily on the 
mind of the young girl, that she sickened and died, and 
was buried under an elm tree which stood on the slope 
of the bluff, below the foot of Jackson street. The old 
Don took the death of his daughter greatly to heart, and 
requested to be relieved. During the pendency of 
which, he built a vessel at the mouth of wolf river, in 
which it was said he and his family, with others, made the 
voyage to Europe. This vessel he named " Mareha Gal- 
losso." That a craft bearing that name was built, as 
indicated, there is no doubt in my mind, but as to her 
rig and capacity, which was represented as quite large, 
there is doubt, and particularly her trip to Europe, 
though I believe such was the original intention. I 



166 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

have heard that she was sold at New Orleans, and went 
into the coasting trade, which I think more likely. The 
original map of Memphis, published in 1820, has a cut 
representing the Mareha Gallosso as a light " fore-and- 
aft schooner." 

THE BURIAL PLACE. 

The place represented as the burial spot of Donna 
Mareha showed no symptoms of a grave on the surface, 
but when the bluff was graded to fill the navy-yard, two 
graves were found near the place. The old fort, whose 
name was too hard for me to call, much less remember, 
stood, as I have before stated, on the ground now occu- 
pied by the county jail. When Knickerbocker and 
Wright built their storehouse, the first brick-building 
ever erected on this bluff, and which occupied the same 
place, remains of the old fort were found in digging the 
foundation; among others, a vault built af brick was 
found, broken up and used in building the warehouse, 
and now in all probability, occupy a place in the walls of 
the prison. It was thought by some, at the time, that 
these might be the ruins of Fort L'Assomcion, built by 
the French, under the celebrated Bienville, who, for a 
short time, held possession of the country; but that 
could not have been the case, I think, as it was too 
far from the river, being full double what it is now, for 
which this latter fort was designed, in part, as a protec- 
tion; nor could it have been the remains of Fort Pike, 
which, though near, were definitely known. 

EARTHQUAKES. 

Of other families who lived at or near the point, I 
might name the Fletchers. Old Peter came down the 
river in 1811, and encountered the earthquakes near 
New Madrid during their heaviest shocks. His account 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS* 



167i 



of it was, I think, the fullest and most reliable I ever 
heard, if I except that of his daughter, the late Mrs. 
Catharine Whittier, who was about sixteen years old at 
the time, and who could paint the thing up in livelier 
colors, and throw more feeling into it than her father. 
She was very fond of relating incidents and anecdotes 
of early times, most of which would be well worthy of 
publication. Peter settled in the bend near the foot of 
President's Island. His two brothers, Joshua and Tom, 
preceded him several years, but I think Joshua settled 
on this side of the river; he married a half-breed, of 
whom his son Thomas, well known to many of the old 
citizens, was born on this bluff in 1806. Of Old Tom 
I know but little, or where he settled. There were, also, 
the Moores, Graces, Matthews, Beans, Aliens, Atwoods, 
and others, who lived near the Point. The Fields who 
lived at Mound City; Fogleman a short distance above; 
W. D. Furgason at Wopanocha, or Bradley's Landing, as 
since called; Spaw's at Greenoch; and others, that I 
could name, but shall not; also, some that I cannot now 
locate 

During the lifetime of Judge Foj, and particularly 
before the purchase, when no civil government existed 
on this shore, and none, save self-ordained ministers of 
questionable character, visited it, it was common for 
wedding parties to cross to the Point in order that His 
Honor could perform the ceremonj^; which custom was 
continued long after we were blessed with what was^ 
called civil government. There was something roman- 
tic in crossing the river for this purpose, and we were, 
generally speaking, a very romantic people. Long since 
my early days, and since the death of the Judge, I have' 
seen the ferry flat, with all the skiffs and dugouts that 
could be procured, with music, of which we had an ample 



168 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

supply, illuminated with torches, going to and from the 
Arkansas shore, at night, on such an occasion. We 
also had an old, long nine-pounder, which some of us had 
feloniously carried off from Fort Pickering, and planted 
on the bluff, about where the Commandant's house now 
stands. With this we would generally give the party a 
leaving salute and a return greeting. Bob Gift and 
others, including myself, finally overloaded the thing 
and burst it all to smash, and the wonder is that it had 
not smashed some of us. General Gaines was very angry 
about it, talked of prosecuting, and had us considerably 
scared, but our friends persuaded him out of it. 

THE DEATH OF THE JUDGE 

left a vacancy that was felt on both sides of the river, and 
the Point became the resort of the most vicious and des- 
picable class; though it is but justice to say that the cit- 
izens were in no way responsible for their conduct, except 
in a lack of proper effort to suppress it. This deficiency 
Jack James, a young man of considerable enterprise, but 
wanting in moral courage, undertook to supply. He pro- 
cured a territorial appointment as magistrate, purchased 
or leased land, and put up a pretty good house; married 
Becky Ann Berry, the belle of the Point, and seemed to 
have started in earnest, but he let down at the first test 
of his authority, and never regained it. The Point, how- 
ever, soon after loomed up into a great city in prospect- 
ive. A number ol enterprising men of Memphis, though 
apparently inimical to her interest, conceived the grand 
scheme of building a rival town on the opposite side of 
the river, which, according to their prediction, was to lay 
the one-horse concern on the bluff perfectly in the shade. 
Glowing notices of it were published in numerous papers. 
A splendid map was drawn, surroudded by cuts of nu- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 169 

merous churches, hotels, and other public buildings, soon 
to be erected, with the Goddess of Plenty shaking all 
manner of good things out of a " cornu-copise," and 
other representations, designed to attract such as had 
more money than brains, and dignified it with the name 
of Pedraza. Gus Young and Major E. Hickman were 
the leading spirits, though I think that one Robertson 
Topp, and, perhaps, others still living, took their first les- 
sons in town-building in this afl*air. There was nothing, 
however, discreditable about it, excepting that the story 
of the laboring mountain might seem too strikingl}^ sim- 
ilar. The sale of the lots was put ofi" from time to time on 
.account of the shyness of the crowd, which grew beauti- 
fully less until it fell through entirely. They did, how- 
ever, sell some lots to a fellow, a saddler by trade, whose 
name I have forgotten, and would not remember it if I 
could, for to him, perhaps justty, was attributed the fail- 
ure of the town. He bought a number of old flatboats, 
ran them across, broke them up, and from the debris 
erected an executive shanty, which he named the 



But he undertook to shove too much of the " queer," and, 
some stolen horses having been found in his possession, 
he felt it advisable to emigrate, leaving his wife in charge 
of the concern, in whose name ever3^thing was purchased. 
She proved herself equal to the occasion, and the house 
was soon filled with lewd women and black-legs, and for 
some three 5^ears they had everything their own way. 
'Squire James kept a grocery, and his general patronage 
was from that class. The ferry was reaping a rich har- 
vest, as were some others, who were not very particular 
about disturbances while their pockets were benefited. 
The revelers were therefore at liberty to fight, shoot and 



170 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

yell as much as they pleased, without the fear of being^ 
interfered with, until the hanging of the gamblers at 
Vicksburg, in July, 1835, took place; after which that 
class found themselves driven from almost all the towns 
on the river. Memphis being rather slow, as usual, soon 
found herself overrun with them, when a meeting of the 
citizens was called, and all gamblers were notified to^ 
leave, or fare as their fellowcrafts had done in Vicksburg. 
This produced quite a flutter. Some pretended to ap- 
prove of the proceedings, became suddenly reformed, and 
were going to work; others kept very scarce and quiet for 
some days, after which their mutterings began to be 
heard, which, gradually growing louder, became soon 
defiant, when the reformed threw off the mask, and the 
absentees, with new recruits, came pouring in. 

THE GAMBLERS. 

Their triumph for a time appeared complete, but an- 
other meeting, larger than the first, was held, and more 
determined resolutions were passed. A list of all the 
known gamblers was made out, who were warned, on 
their peril, to leave, and they did leave ; but they only 
went over the river, where, feeling that they were on 
their own territory, pretended to organize, made out a 
list of the most active participants of the meeting, and 
notified them of the consequences of their being met with 
in Arkansas. They even threatened to come over and 
burn the town. This was looked upon as mere bombast, 
and perhaps was ; still it was very imprudent to leave the 
place so completely exposed to their attacks, which soon 
after occurred, in this wise : 

THE CAMP-MEETING AND GAMBLERS. 

A big camp-meeting was being held about midway 
between Memphis and Raleigh, and as there may be some 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 171 

who do not fully understand these meetings, I will state 
that they constituted the largest gatherings that met in 
early days. Races, fairs and monkey -shows were com- 
paratively small concerns, as these only drew the wicked, 
and were suspended on Sundays, while camp-meetings 
drew all sorts, particularly the women, who, of course, 
drew the men, especially when they found themselves in 
a triumphant minority, as was the case in this country 
at that time. Why, sir, the very homeliest woman 
in the country could get as many beaux as she wanted, 
while the beauties wielded a sway that was truly distress- 
ing. Your humble servant can speak on that point ex- 
perimentally. The meetings always held a week, com- 
mencing on Thursday and ending the following Wednes- 
day. Sunday was the big day of the occasion, when all 
the great guns were brought out, and the grand rally for 
mourners came off. On the present occasion, the whole 
country for twenty miles around was in a manner depop- 
ulated, and Memphis, on Sunday, virtually deserted. 
The preaching at the campground had been gotten 
through with and the cry for mourners raised, which was 
responded to by about one hundred, followed by the 
faithful, when a scene ensued that will certainly never 
be forgotten by any who witnessed it. There were two 
spaces in front of the stage, each about twenty-five feet 
square, inclosed by side-railings, and filled to the depth 
of a foot or more with straw. What the proper names of 
those inclosures were I do not know, but sinners called 
them " bull-pens," and I was told that the straw was put 
there to prevent the ground-and-lo'fty tumblers from 
hurting themselves, for it appears that religion is unlike 
some other stimulants, and does not suspend the nervous 
system. These pens were soon filled with the seekers. 
The faithful, who seemed over-anxious to participate in 



172 HISTORY OP MEMPHIS. 

the great work of saving souls, with the exception 
of a favored and probably trained band, were driven 
back with the cry of " don't crowd the mourners," which 
appeared to cast a momentary damper on the rising 
flame, from which it, however, soon recovered and broke 
forth with renewed fury. The thing seemed well got- 
ten up. Each of the workers appeared to know and 
have studied his or her part. They distributed them- 
selves through the wailing crowd in about equal num- 
bers, and immediately engaged in exhorting, praying, 
singing, clapping of hands, and other demonstrations, 
no two of which were in harmony, but an evidently- 
designed discord pervaded the whole, except that a 
rivalry seemed to exist as to who could make the most 
noise, or create the greatest confusion, while the exclu- 
ded laborers had to content themselves with exclaiming, 
" Amen ! " " Hallelujah ! " " God grant it ! " and other like 
expressions, which, mingled with lunatic screams, pit- 
eous groans and dismal howls, to say nothing of the 
violent gesticulations of the converts, was certainly cal- 
culated to upset any ordinary brain. 

OPPOSITION. 

The negroes, who were there in large numbers, being 
excluded from participation with their white brethren, 
set up an independent, or, I might say, opposition meet- 
ing of their own, and, while they drew off none of the 
white bosses, jours or apprentices, they certainly did 
draw heavily on the rabble. The whites could not be 
surpassed in antics, but the darkies could beat them in 
strength of lungs, agility, and originality of exclama- 
tion. To be outshouted by negroes was something the 
more favored class would not submit to; so a delegation 
waited on the coloreds, informing them that they must 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 17i3 

either dry up or move farther off, and I believe they 
chose the latter. 

Another feature of this assembly was that there were 
some dozen or more booths, in different directions, a quar- 
ter of a mile or less from the main shed, composed of 
bushes, cut and piled up, beneath which was concealed a 
barrel of whisky. The proprietors were supplied with 
an ample number of junk bottles and runners to attend 
customers at the shed, where the bottles would be passed 
around, sometimes within a few yards of the speakers' 
stand, until their contents were exhausted, when they 
would be despatched back, with the necessary fee, for re- 
filling; and its effects may be readily conceived. 

There may be some who think that a camp-meeting is 
no place for love-making; if so, they are very much mis- 
taken. When the mind becomes bewildered and con- 
fused, the moral restraints give way, and the passions 
are quickened and less controllable. For a mile or more 
around a camp-ground the woods seem alive with people; 
every tree or bush has its group or couple, while hund- 
reds of others in pairs are seen prowling around in search 
of some cozy spot. These gatherings have ceased in all 
intelligent communities, and in a short ^me will onl}^ be 
remembercvi as one of the errors of the past. It is also 
to be hoped that religious Fairs will soon cease, in which 
the laws of God and man are openl}^ ignored, the sworn 
duties of grand juries set at defiance, and the most per- 
nicious species of gambling engaged in, while 5"0ung 
ladies of the best families are put forward and induced 
to go among the men canvassing for chances in some 
article to be raffled for — requiring a degree of boldness 
and indelicacy that is morally shocking. It is useless to 
say that other societies engage in the same practices. If 
religious societies will stop it the others will readily be 



174 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

put down. But I must get back to the camp-ground, 
where the excitement still reigned, though soon doomed 
to undergo a sudden and violent change. 

When the thing had reached its zenith and was work- 
ing most admirably to the minds of its planners, a horse- 
man dashed up and at the top of his voice cried out : " The 
gamblers have come over, and are about to burn Mem- 
phis!" Then a change took place, and such a change! 
The yell was immediately raised by the outsiders, and 
as readily suspended by the ins ; the latter not knowing 
what was the matter, supposed that some terrible danger 
threatened them and fled in all direction. In less than 
a minute the mammoth shed was cleared of its vast 
assemblage, including the pens. It is strange how quick 
some people, under peculiar circumstances, can recover 
their senses. The general impression seemed to be that 
safety in this world was of more importance than that 
in the world to come, and although the Lord of Hosts 
might be present, as had been declared, this particular 
host had better be anywhere else. 

As soon as the cause of alarm was understood, those 
who had not previously taken to the woods took the road 
to Memphis. The pedestrians got the start, but the 
equestrians soon went dashing* through them with ter- 
rific fury, followed first by the light and then by the 
heavier vehicles. It was then that the vastness of the 
multitude was most apparent; and although Shelby county 
contains at present ten times the population she then did, 
if such a body of people were now to congregate, the gen- 
eral question would be, " Oh, where did they come from?" 

THE DISAPPOINTMENT. 

On arriving in Memphis, it was found that the torch 
had not been applied, but that the gamblers had been 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 175 

over in large force, and had paraded the streets in a 
swaggering and threatening manner, which was too 
aggravating to be passed over qnietly ; so a body of well- 
armed and determined men pressed all the water-crafts 
that could be propelled by hand into service, and went 
across, but could find nothing over a ten-year-old in 
breeches. Even the quiet, inoffensive citizens thought 
it best to be out of the way. Within a few hundred 
yards of the shore there was then a dense and almost 
impenetrable cane-brake, in which it was thought the 
gamblers had taken refuge, and from which it was deemed 
foolish to attempt to rout them. The women, however, 
were more heroic. They not only stood their ground, 
but opened their batteries on the common enemy, and 
such a thorough tongue-lashing no poor fellows, perhaps, 
ever received. Some of the more indiscreet of the inva- 
ders attempted to bandy epithets, but their calibre 
proved wholly deficient. Chapfallen and mortified at 
their supposed failure, the expedition returned, but it 
had in reality proved a great success, for the gamblers 
found that even Arkansas, or at least that portion of it, 
was to them not only an unprofitable field for operation, 
but a very unhealthy locality. 

About a week after the last named occurrence, the 
citizens of Memphis were aroused from their slumbers 
at the dead of night by the ringing of the alarm bells. 
Upon reaching their doors they found the heavens lit up 
with a dazzling glare. Their first impression was that 
the threat of the gamblers was being accomplished, but 
they were soon relieved by discovering that the light 
came from the opposite shore, and, on closer view, that 
the Pedraza Hotel was in flames. The whole population 
was soon assembled on the bluff, and never was a fire 
looked upon with more general pleasure. Many jokes 



176 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

were told and heartily enjoyed. In fact some men were 
presert, but partially dressed, with their guns in their 
hands. Thus ended the gamblers' embroilment, and, at 
the same time, the embr3^o city of Pedraza. 

WAPPANOCHA. 

It is due to the importance of Foy's Point and the 
truth of history, to say that, like this bluff, there were 
three rival or opposition towns in contemplation at the 
same time, adjoining each other, on her shores. Charles 
B. Murry, one of our oldest citizens, of whom much 
might be told, purchased the tract below and laid off a 
town, to which he gave the more modest name of Hope- 
ville. The Pedraza company showed a very bad feeling 
to their neighbor, closed up their streets on that side, 
and even fell out with old John D. Graham, the surveyor, 
for having made them to conform to their own, discharged 
him from their service, and employed Wappanocha Fur- 
gason in his stead. To their chagrin they soon after 
learned that Furgason and others had actually succeeded 
in persuading old Mrs. Foy, (relict of the Judge,) to lay 
off her farm into a town, which they wisely determined 
should retain the name of Foy's Point; she was, however, 
persuaded, not out of it, but to wait until the success of 
the others should be known, which amounted to the 
same. The feuds growing out of these were very dis- 
creditable, and I think considerable injustice was done 
both to Graham and Furgason, particularly the latter, 
who was a much better man than some people gave him 
credit for. He has told me many incidents and anecdotes of 
early times, but failed to write them out, and as I never 
dreamed of turning historian, I have now but an imperfect 
recollection of them, one of which I will, however, relate : 

A CURIOUS STORY. 

It was in the summer of 1831 that a steamer, on her 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 177 

iipward-bouud trip, stopped at Wappanocha to wood, 
when a 3'ouiig man went ashore and solicited employment 
from Furgason, telling him that he had been to New Or- 
leans on a flatboat, and while returning on the deck of the 
steamboat, had the misfortune to be robbed of all his 
money. Furgason gave him a job of cutting cord-wood, 
at which he worked until he had earned a sufficient sum 
to carry him to his home in Illinois. During this time 
he was an inmate of the Colonel's house. This young 
man's name was Abraham Lincoln, since President of 
the United States. 

THE PROPHETS. 

I neglected to insert in its proper place quite an im- 
portant event in the history of Foy's Point, which 
inspired the idea of town-building, and which was the 
building of the great National or Militar}^ road from the 
Mississippi river to Little Rock, and ultimately to the 
frontier, which at that time was looked upon as a greater 
undertaking than half a dozen railroads would be at 
present, and in fact, what Gaines was urging, and prob- 
ably would have succeeded in turning into a railroad. 
But government undertakings move slowl}^, and partic- 
ularly was it the case iu that instance. It dragged 
heavily along for some six or eio^ht years; detached por- 
tions of it were finished while the intervening parts 
were wholly impassable. It was however, progressing, 
and in a short time would have been finished. If the 
government was slow Arkansas was fast, or at least 
some of her citizens who wished seats in Congress were, 
and she was fastened to the Union about thirty years 
before her time. The prevailing theory then was that 
the Government could make no internal improvements 
within the States, and thus this important undertaking, 

12 



178 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

and other interest of the people fell a sacrifice to the 
selfish ambition of a few heartless politicians. 

THE DUELS. 

You are anxious to know something about the- duels 
which have at different times been fought on the Arkan- 
sas shore, opposite Memphis. This I find the most 
difficult part of my task, never having witnessed any of 
them, and although I am familiar with the causes that 
led to the most of them, yet they are generally of such 
a nature that their reviewal might be very improper. 
Still, I will endeavor to gratify you as far as may seem 
consistent with propriet}' : 

PHILIP S. WHITE AND GUS YOUNG. 

The first tha't I remember, though I have an indistinct 
recollection of a previous one, was between Gus Young 
and Philip S. White. They took two pops at each other. 
The first proved a clear miss ; at the second each received 
clothes wounds, when their seconds and other friends, 
fearing the theor\'^ that " practice makes perfect " might 
prove true in their case, and that the next shot might 
spoil the hide, interposed and settled the matter. Fran- 
cis Augustus Young was the eldest of four brothers, sons 
•of Captain Emanuel Young, one of the first, oldest and 
most enterprising merchants of the Bluff City. He com- 
manded the old steamer " United States " that flourished 
Just fifty years ago, the Leviathan of her day, being more 
than double the tonnage of any other boat on the river. 
After his death his sons continued the business 
under the firm style of F. A. & T. Young & Co. Gus 
was a handsome, noble, whole-souled fellow, and the 
leading spirit of the fast young men of his day. He had 
his weakness, though, which brought him to an early 
grave. Philip S. White was a tall, portly and 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 179 

remarkably fine-looking man; a Kentuckian by birth, a 
lawyer by profession, and a great wit and brilliant 
orator. Although quite dissipated at the time of the 
duel, he reformed and distinguished himself as a temper- 
ance lecturer and Most Worthy Patriarch of the Sons of 
Temperance of the United States. But he ultimately 
fell, and finally died a drunkard. 

Dr. D. J. Auld, White's second, who, unlike his princi- 
pal,was a very small man, feeling aggrieved at something 
that transpired, challenged, successively, some half- 
dozen, all of whom declined. It was thought that the 
size of the target, and the fact of the Doctor being con- 
sidered a dead shot, had something to do with their ob- 
jections. Finding that he could kill no one else, he 
concluded to kill himself. Abandoning his practice, he 
devoted himself wholly to hard drink and low company; 
and thus was lost to the world one of the most gifted 
and accomplished young men I have ever known. 

[I am glad to learn, through the Appeal, of March 16, 
1873, that I was mistaken in reference to Dr. Auld's loss 
to the world; that he not only reformed, but became a 
distinguished minister of the Gospel in South Carolina, 
where he lived many 3'ears, highly esteemed, though his 
biographer represents his depravity while in Memphis in 
a much worse light than I had done.] 

ANOTHER AFFAIR OF HONOR. 

Fielding Lucas and Joseph Henderson, having ran 
athwart each other in a love matter, devoted a whole day 
in Arkansas trying to get up a fight, while their friends 
were even more earnestly engaged in trying to prevent 
it, which they finally did. Mr. Lucas is still living, and 
one of the most prominent and wealthy citizens of Mis- 
sissippi. 



180 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

There were some other duels of small importance, 
which I have in a measure forgotten, and which it is 
perhaps better that all others should forget. Besides, I 
have determined to relate no circumstance that has oc- 
curred within the past quarter century, however important. 
I shall, therefore, after giving a short sketch of the fatal 
duel between Gholston and Jackson, which happened 
several years prior to the one last mentioned, proceed to 
close my story. This is one that I should be the most 
anxious to avoid, as it was the consequence of one of the 
most disgraceful feuds that ever scandalized any com- 
munity: A most notoriously abandoned woman having 
heard that a highly respectable widowed lady had 
expressed the opinion that her negro girl was being har- 
bored by her, she armed herself with a cowhide and 
commenced a brutal assault on the lady, in the most 
public part of the town, and in the presence of numerous 
persons. That such an outrage should be palliated, 
much less justified, by any having the slightest claim to 
common sense and decency, may seem wholly incredit- 
able, yet, nevertheless, it is true, and for which more 
than one man paid the direful penalty of his life. But 
I shall not go into details further than I can well avoid. 
At a public table Gholston, in speaking of the affair, ex- 
pressed his opinion that there was little or no difference 
in point of character between the two women, which 
Jackson resented there, and an altercation was with some 
difficulty prevented. Jackson immediately challenged 
Gholston. The latter first threw himself on his dignity, 
claiming to be of better family. These grounds being 
generally considered untenable, even by some of Ghol- 
son's own friends, and urged on by others, the challenge 
was finally accepted. 

The parties met on the opposite shore, and the fight 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 181 

was witnessed by a large concourse. At the first fire, 
which was simultaneous, Gholston leaped in the air, ut- 
tered a piercing shriek and fell lifeless on the spot, 
having been shot through the heart. Jackson was also 
severely, though not dangerously, wounded. Colonel 
Wm. T. Gholston was a Virginian, I believe; had been 
bred a lawyer, though I don't think he ever practiced. 
He was engaged in mercantile pursuits, being one of the 
firm of Bayless, Gholston & Co. He was a man of re- 
spectable talents, but inordinate vanitj^ His over 
anxiety to fill a seat in the American Congress led him 
to seek political strength in a very improper direction. 

TERRIBLE INCIDENT. 

On the morning of the duel he sent word to his 
mother-in-law that he would have friends home with him 
to dinner. A sumptuous repast was prepared, and 
several lady friends were present when the corpse was 
brought in, and one of the most heartrending scenes 
ensued ever witnessed. Captain Jackson was a Ten- 
nesseean, born, I believe, in Murray county, a lawyer by 
profession, and of more than ordinary talents. He was, 
I think, in some way related to the lady whose wrongs 
he so dreadfully avenged. He is now living in Missouri, 
where he is said to be much esteemed, and enjoying a 
good practice, and recently promoted to the bench. 

I might tell of the cruel lynchings and desperate acts 
performed, mostly b}' parties from this shore; I might 
also tell of the gangs of horse-thieves and coun- 
terfeiters that infested that region from the days of 
John A. Murrel to the expulsion of Joe Able; also the 
doings of the regulators; but I shall not do so at present. 

I have no apology, Mr. Editor, to make for this story, 
except the zigzag manner in which it is gotten up; and 



182 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

had I a character as a writer to lose, I should certainly 
re-arrange and re-write the whole; as it is I shall let it 
pass for what it is worth. I have, however, one request 
to make of my friends on the opposite shore^ in which 
I hope the Old Folks and yourself will join, which is, 
that they will revive and continue that once so deserv- 
edly popular name of Foy's Point. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 183 



THE RECEPTION OF COLONEL RICHARD M. 
JOHNSON IN MEMPHIS, IN 1844. 



Some of m}^ readers are aware that in early times 
Memphis contained a wild, frolicsome setof 3'oung men, 
and I am strongly inclined to believe she has some speci- 
mens of that kind on hand yet. She certainl}^ had as 
late as twenty-nine 3'ears ago, which an incident I propose 
to relate, will, I think, clearly establish. 

The Presidential canvass of 1844 commenced, I may 
sa}^, with that 3'ear, if not before. The Whigs had settled 
on Henrv Cla}' as their candidate, without any division; 
while the Democrats were very much divided, and some 
six or more prominent men of that party were struggling 
for the honor, as it was thought by their opponents, of 
being slaughtered by Clay — among the number was Col. 
Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky, who had filled the 
office of Vice-President, under Van Buren, and who now 
was determined on forcing himself on the party, though, 
to their credit be it said, the intelligent portion were 
heartily ashamed of him, and well the}^ might be, for, 
considering his opportunities, he certainly was the poor- 
est apolog}^ for a statesman that has ever yet been brought 
forward by any party, and I think that both the leading 
parties might blush for some they have not only brought 
forward, but actuall}' elected. Dick, as he was commonly 
called, determined, if possible, to secure the nomination, 
and for that purpose planned an electioneering tour 
through the southern and western States in the spring 
of that 3'ear. Memphis, of course, was one of the points 
selected for a display of his talents, and due notice of 



184 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

the time o^ his proposed visit was published. The 
Whigs, knowing the estimate their leading opponents 
held poor Dick in was highly elated, and promised them- 
selves some rich fun, but came nigh being disappointed, 
for up to the very day before lis arrival not one thing 
had been done by his party friends to give him a recep- 
tion, when a meeting was held b^^ the Whigs and resolu- 
tions passed that the gallant Colonel should be properly- 
honored. All necessary steps were taken— committees 
appointed, speakers selected and funds provided. When 
the steamer hove in view, with her colors flying and 
cannon booming, all was in readiness. The " Blues," to 
a limited number, turned out, escorted by a brass band, 
and followed b}^ a dilapidated carriage, stood in readiness 
to receive the immortal slayer of Tecumseh. As soon as 
the planks were launched the band struck up " Hail to 
the Chief," the militaiy filed right and left, tiie proper 
parties boarded the boat and soon returned with an ad- 
dition to their number, in the person of a short, portly 
and quite good looking man, whose most noted feature 
was a flaming rest vest, said to be the same worn when 
the big Indian fell. The crowd greeted him with a shout, 
in response to which he made a very low bow. I might 
here add that it was no trouble at that season of the3^ear 
to get up a crowd, owing to the large number of flatboats 
lying at the landing. The Colonel, in great style, soon 
landed at the Exchanoe Hotel, then kept b}^ Major E. 
Hickman and Benjamin Sappington. The committee 
hastened their distinguished charge upon the upper gal- 
lery — a large, old-fashioned countr}^ porch, furnished 
with seats, the front ones reserved for the ladies — but 
nary a lady. The orator selected for the occasion was a 
tall, young lawyer b3^ the name of Henry G. Smith. I 
reckon the Judge will hardly thank me for mixing his 



I 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 185 

name in this mess, but I have pretty much quit working 
for thanks, beside they put me in a rather ridiculous po- 
sition, which I suppose I shall be obliged to acknowl- 
edge ; if so, I shall tell on everybody else. Among the 
committees was one, perhaps not generall}^ known, called 
the Enthuse Committee, whose duty it was to keep up a 
systematic excitement, on which they appointed me 
chairman, or as some styled me, " Hallomaster-General," 
which was certainl}^ clue me, on account of m}^ remarka- 
ble ability in that way. My men were well drilled, and at 
a certain signal were to display themselves according to 
programme. 

Smith's speech was a rare specimen, and to serve him 
right I would give it in full. He soft-soaped the Colonel 
from head to foot, and rubbed it in; called him the hero 
of the Thames, and spoke glowinglj^ of his famous charge 
at that battle; as the confidential friend and adviser of 
old Hickory Jackson ; of the services he had rendered 
the nation as one of its ablest counsellors; of the digni- 
fied manner in which he had presided over that most 
august body the Senate of the United States, and par- 
ticularly that master piece of statesmanship, his Sund}^ 
Mail Report. How he came to omit the killing of Te- 
cumseh I never could see. He need not have been 
ashamed of it, for the Colonel had certainly as much to 
do with that as he had with the Sunday Mail Report; but 
perhaps the Judge did not think so ; yet, how he could look 
old Dick in the face and say what he did was a mystery 
to me. 

M}' committee had been sparing during Smith's speech, 
reserving their heavy metal for the Colonel. When that 
individual's turn came a grand shout rent the air, and 
the red vest was gracefully bowed across the rail. '' Fel- 
low-citizens," said he, throwing himself into a military 



186 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

attitude and substituting his cane for a sword, " when 
the battle of the Thames hung in the scales of uncer- 
tainty I determined on a decisive movement. I called to 
my brojher James, Lieutenant-Colonel Johnson! who 
responded, presenting his sword. After acknowledging 
the salutation — Go, said I, and turn the left wing of the 
enemy; I give you thirty minutes to do it in. He bowed 
and put spurs to his horse. I drew my watch from my 
pocket, [suiting the action to the word] and ere the 
minute hand had passed half way round the dial my 
brother James returned, and, giving me the salutation, 
exclaimed: 'Colonel Johnson, your order has been 
obeyed! ' and in less than thirty minutes more the fate of 
the day was decided. Fellow-citizens, you knoAV the 
result. Since that time, fellow-citizens, thirt\^ minutes 
has been a fixed time with me, and if 3^ou will now give 
me your attention I propose to make you a thirty minute 
speech." Here my committee came in beautifully, but it 
was about their last displa}^, for the Colonel failed in 
almost every effort he made afterward. He would fre- 
quentl^" strike an eloquent strain and run it for a few 
moments, giving hope of a well finished sentiment — while 
I held myself in readiness to give the signal — when he 
would come to a sudden pause, and after a confused look, 
would add, in a silly tone, " for m}^ further views on this 
subject, fellow-citizens, I will refer you to my Sunday 
Mail Report;" and thus he got out of a half dozen or 
more bogs during his harangue, and at each time spoiled 
a display of enthuse. Members of the committee would 
nudge me. " Colonel," they would say — they had dubbed 
me Colonel for the occasion — " why don't you give the 
signal." " There is no place for it," I would answer. 
" Oh, let us have it an3diow, we are read}^ to burst," they 
would reply. Finally the thirty minutes were drawing to 



I 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 187 

a close, and it would not do to give it up so. Taking a 
portion of the committee, I descended, and we took our 
places in the crowd of boatmen, where a number of my 
committee had already been stationed, and kept up a sort 
of indiscriminate cheer. There were, however, an irre- 
sponsible set who annoyed the old man with cries of 
" louder," and his efforts to accommodate them brought 
on fits of coughing, which threatened to spoil the sport* 
When he showed signs of closing we would call out, 
" Tell us about killing Tecumseh," and immediately Te- 
cumseh would ring through the crowd, for the rabble 
thought it sincere. This was too fat a subject to be 
passed over, so he had to give us the opinion of brother 
James and numerous others to sustain his claim to that 
important act. Then the cry " Tell us about General 
Jackson," was rung. This was another of his strong 
points, and he went on to show wherein Old Hickory had 
shown unbounded confidence in him, &c. After which, 
" Tell us about j^our Sunda}^ Mail Report." Some would 
have thought we had had enough of that, but the' Col- 
onel did not think so, and so he went on to prove his au- 
thorship of that document, which had been attributed to 
Amos Kendall and others. 

Thus poor Dick was worried, and his Democratic 
friends, who had joined in the movement for appearance 
sake, were, with a few exceptions, very angry — promi- 
nent among whom was Major Hickman, the Mayor, who 
had been to the old hero several times, telling him that 
dinner was ready, that he was injuring himself, &c., but 
to no purpose, when, calling to Lem. Austin, and point- 
ing to me, said, " Go and tell that d — d fool that I say 
stop it." The jNEajor alvvavs thought that he had the 
right to sa}^ what he pleased to anj'body, and particularly 
to me. Lem, however, did not think it prudent to carry 



188 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

such a message, but passed along by me looking angiy, 
and, without turning his head, he said, "I would be 
ashamed of myself." Casting an eye on the crowd 
around me, I found he had hit me on the softest point. 
I hurriedly slouched my hat over my eyes and made for 
the tavern, and m}^ subordinates immediately followed, 
when the old soldier, being taken with another fit of 
coughing, suflTered himself to be led awa}^ without a part- 
ing cheer. He was then brought down to the bar-room 
to be introduced to the crowd, but the crowd had disap- 
peared, Austin and others having told them that it was 
a Whig trick, induced them to disperse. This rather got 
us for a little while, but we soon commenced repeating. 
I received three introductions, under as many different 
names and titles, while some others doubled me, and thus 
made a pretty fair show of numbers. We then, tired and 
hungry, made our way to the dining-room, and here poor 
Dick had to undergo another pressure, by introduction 
to the distinguished persons present. 

Seth Wheatley now took charge of the Colonel, and 
made him a lengthy speech. While this was going on 
many of us were plying our knives and forks. Wheatley 
made ample amends for the omission of Smith on the 
Tecumseh point, and welcomed the distinguished visitor 
to our Bluff city. Of course there was a repl_y and many 
thanks tendered for the honors conferred. Hardly had 
the hungry Colonel taken his seat and turned his atten- 
tion to the inner man than the toasts commenced — all 
voluntar}^, and, as a general thing, remarkable only for 
their surpassing flatness — most of which were pretended 
compliments to Mr. Johnson, which never failed to call 
forth an acknowledgment and response. 

The Colonel was a remarkably hearty eater, and fre- 
quently, while thus engaged, found too large a grist in his 



t 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 189 

mill to be disposed of in the usual way, at short notice, 
and if the agony produced by such efforts were fairly 
portra3^ed by the accompanying grimaces and popping of 
eyes, it certainly must have been intense. 

There were also some side-shows connected with this 
menagerie worthy of notice. Dr. Jno. S. Williams would 
call out to Holy Parker, who sat some distance from him, 
particularly when an3''thing ridiculous was said, "Rich," 
to which Parker, in a grave tone, would respond — 
"Very." John Park said, in a low voice to those 
near him, " I am going to get the old fellow for thirty 
minutes," and, of course, was soon called out, when he 
gave — " Colonel Richard M. Johnson, * first in war, first 
in peace, and first in the hearts of the American peo- 
ple.' " The Colonel arose, but his hopper beirg unusu- 
ally full, he was under the necessity of throwing his head 
well back to prevent the contents escaping in the wrong 
way, blubbered out, " Thank you, my dear friend," set- 
tled down and went on with his mastication, when sev- 
eral sang out "watered," and John wilted. Next, Colo- 
nel Eppy White was called on for a sentiment, when that 
individual, who could outgirt a sugar hogshead, arose 
and said, in his deep, bass tone, " Pm for Henry Clay for 
President, that's my sentiment." This was a damper, it 
being understood that we were all Johnson men for the 
time being. Dr. Geo. A. Smith arose and nominated 
Colonel Eppy White for Vice-President on the same 
ticket. Robertson Topp arose, seconded the nomination, 
declaring that no man could be found who would 
better fill the chair. This was considered so good that 
all joined in a hearty laugh. Old Dick, whose mouth 
happened to be nearly empty at the time, laughed im- 
moderatety. After which the toasts and witticisms were 
confined to the antic portion of the collection, and the 



190 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS, 

lion was permitted to lay in stores for some ten minutes 
undisturbed, and to witness his industry, one would have 
supposed that he was providihg against a famine; but a 
.cruel interruption awaited him. Colonel C. D. McLain, 
being called u}X)n, arose and gave " Kentucky, like the 
mother of the Gracci, when called upon to produce here 
rarest jewel, points to her son," and, giving his hand a 
grand flourish, brought the index finger, with the con- 
tcluding words, to bear in line with the red vest. This 
was the master toast of the occasion. 

The idea of placing such a specimen in advance of the 
Claj^s, Crittendens,, Marshals^ Wickliffs, &c., may look 
ridiculous to some,; the Colonel, however, did not see it 
in that light. Springing to his feet he made a powerful 
effort to send an overcharge of half-masticated food 
below, but the mass gorged at the narrows, and for a few 
moments seemed to baffle all efforts to displace it. Some 
of the material worked itself under the glottis, when the 
windpipe came in play, and, with a terrible snort, sent 
the obstructing matter in all directions, and such a shower 
of provisions had, perhaps, never before occurred since 
the days of Moses as was then witnessed. The snort 
seemed contagious, for one after another was taken, until 
the whole crowd were engaged, and coughing, sneezing 
and laughing became universal, and actually broke up 
the meeting, though all, with perhaps one exception, had 
ate, if not drank, as much as they desired. 

The music. Blues and dilapidated carriage were again 
brought into requisition, and the Colonel, seated beside 
the Mayor, with the two orators of the day on the front 
seat, were hauled through some of the principal streets, 
and, finally, down to the river and placed on board the 
boat, which immediately shoved out. The Colonel was 
goon oji the upper deck, where his red bajadajia and vest 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 191 

glittered in tlie setting sun until the}' rounded the point 
below, and their owner was, no doubt, fully satisfied that 
the men of Memphis were almost a unit for Colonel Dick 
Johnson for President of the United States. 

I might also give some sketches of the visit of Hon. 
Henry C: ay the 3'ear before. He was received with great 
enthusiasm, and Memphis never has had another such 
favorite for the Presidency. 

I might tell of Colonel Eppy White's bringing his wife 
to town and making Cla}' kiss her, ("there," said old 
Eppy to his wife, after the performance, " now go home, 
and don't wash your face for a week"); the frolic thej- 
had on the boat when they went down to meet him; also, 
a pretty good story on Doctor Wyatt Christian, in the 
same connection ; but I'll pass them ail, at least for the 
present. 

Ex-President Van Buren also visited us the same year, 
1843, on his way to the Hermitage, to once more shake 
the hand of his old friend and patron, General Andrew 
Jackson. 

There is one thing I might say to the credit of old 
Dick Johnson, he did not disguise the object of his tour, 
while the others, I think, rather played off, and, like 
Andy's visit to the grave of Douglass, were swinging 
around the Presidential circle. 

I failed to see Mr. Van Buren, as he landed in the 
night and remained on the boat, though many friends 
and idlers did. Although I was not present mvself, 3'et 
I am strongly inclined to publish what Tom Green saw, 
or, at least, claimed to have seen, and Tom could tell the 
truth when — I was going to say, sober, but upon reflec- 
tion I believe it was when drunk that he more frequently 
stumbled in that direction. But some one ma}' wish to 
know who Tom Green was. All I know about him is 



192 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

that he Ih^ed some where in Mississippi; came here in 
company with Bill Yerger, Kemp Hurst, and others of 
the soit, on a spree; that he could talk more incessantly, 
say more smart things without a moment's reflection, sing 
more songs, tell more jokes and drink more whisky, with- 
out getting drunk, than any man I ever knew. He was 
a fine-looking man, had plenty of mone}^, and spent it as 
though it were valueless. He was here on a sight-seeing 
expedition, and, being up at the time, could not let the 
Fox of Kinderhook, as he called Van, pass without see- 
ing him, and I shall let him tell his own story : 

" The first I saw of Van Buren, an Irishman had hold 
of his hand, exclaiming: 

'Arrah, Mr. Van Buren, it's glad I am to see 3'e! I'm 
a Jackson man, no matther who the divvil else is running. 
Have you a we bit o' the 'removed deposits' about ye,, 
jist?' 

' Oh, no,' said Mr. Van Buren, pretending not to under- 
stand him, ' that law has been repealed,' 

' Repailed!' exclaimed Mick, 'and are ye's repailing in 
this counthry, too? I thought it was that broth of a boy, 
Dan O'Conner, in the auld counthry, that was doing all 
the repailing.' 

"At this juncture a little crappo Frenchman, who looked 
like he was on the dark side of eighty, seizing his left 
hand, for Pat still held on to the other, commenced : 

' Ah, Monsieur Van Buren, me so very mooch glad to 
see you; me glad to shake your hand; me no been sa 
mooch glad since me shake de hand of de Grand Napo- 
leon.' 

" Just then a huge giant appeared in front, who meas- 
ured four feet between the shoulders, and six inches 
between the eyes. He looked as though he could, at an 
hour's notice, subdue a forest, tunnel the All6ghanies, 



1 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 193 

or bridge the Mississippi. In his bosom was a partly 
concealed broad-axe, while on his shoulders sat two full 
grown, well fed coons. Speaking very slow and loud, and 
principally through his nose, he addressed Mr. Van Buren 
as follows: 

'Mr. Van Buren, my name is Alf. Bowen; I'm from 
Kentucky, and a Jackson man, by — ; and I want to 
shake j^our hand.' 

' Well,' said Van, ' if I had another hand, you should 
have it ; and if you can induce either of my friends here 
to relinquish their hold on one of them, you are at liberty 
to shake it; but I pass them coons and that broad-axe.' 

The Kentuckian took a hurried glance at each of the 
hand-holders. The Frenchman appeared the softest case, 
but his was the left hand, and Bowen was no left-handed 
man ; so, taking Mick gently by the arm, which caused 
an exclamation of pain, that individual relinquished the 
hand of Van Buren immediately^, and was sent off" about 
six feet." 

Tom says he left at this time, but, on looking back, 
judged, b}^ the wrigglings of the ex-President, that he 
had made a very bad exchange. 



194 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 



LOCAL HISTORY— THE BATTURE. 



In a communication some years ago, published in the 
Appeal, I gave a condensed history of the batture in 
front of the city, but as that notice was mostly devoted 
to another subject, which had ceased to have any im- 
portance, perhaps few if any copies of it could now be 
had. At all events, I consider it worthy of a more ex- 
tended notice, and shall proceed to give it. 

The first settlers found a much more extensive bat- 
ture in front of the bluff than the present one ever was, 
on which there was an Indian village; and for years 
afterward the only semblance of a town, a few cabins, 
or shanties, were erected at the mouth of Wolf river, 
which was then about opposite the foot of Jefferson 
street. There were also some three or four corn-fields, 
worked by the Indians, and a quarter race-track on 
which the speed of their ponies was daily tried. Henry 
Foy purchased the right of the Indians, and cultivated 
the fields more extensivelj^ At what time this batture 
washed away I do not remember to have heard, but 
think it shortly after the earthquakes at New Madrid, 
which caused numerous changes in the river. At this 
time, however, and for more than thirty years after, the 
river was thickly studded with snags, which would col- 
lect large quantities of driftwood, causing the current to 
set with powerful force against the shore in many places, 
and I have seen whole acres 

CAVE IN IN A BODY, 

carrying with it the tallest and heaviest trees, main- 
taining their upright jDosition unti they would disap- 



I 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 195 

pear, leaving a whirlpool into which the water would 
rush for near a minute after, showing clearly that the 
body of earth was still sinking. In a few minutes more 
the tops of the trees would reappear above water, but 
the weights of the roots would still continue them in 
their upright position and thus drift down until coming 
to the shallow water, the roots resting on the bottom, 
the quicksands depositing around them, and in a short 
time the tree would be found more firmly planted in the 
bed of the river than ever it had been on its native soil, 
the drift would soon strip it of its limbs leaving its 
sturdy trunk to deal destruction to every hapless craft 
that came in contact with it. 

Congress passed a bill for the removal of obstructions 
from the Mississippi river, and snag boats were built 
with sufficient power to have lifted any tree in this 
county out by the roots, yet they wholly failed to raise 
many of the snags alluded to, and it was found neces- 
sary to invent machinery to cut them off at the depth of 
thirty or forty feet under water. Congress, I will ven- 
ture to say, never passed a more beneficial measure, or 
one that met with a more bitter and determined opposi- 
tion. 

One of the glories of the Mississippi at or prior to 
that time was its dangers, and that to remove these ob- 
structions was, in the opinion of all those engaged in its 
navigation, to open the river to the prudent, timid, 
and unskilled, thereby reducing the monopoly, if not 
destroying the trade. To show the means the [reck- 
less men of that day resorted to would require too much 
space, but I feel warranted in saying that many boats 
were wantonly wrecked for the purpose of proving that 
the danger, instead of being lessened, .was increased by 
the removal of the snags, while all the clap-trap pol- 



196 HISTORY OP MEMPHIS. 

iticians contended that the Constitution was violated 
every time a snag was disturbed. They finally suc- 
ceeded in stopping the " outrage " but not until nearly all 
their pets were ousted. 

There are now fewer accidents on the river, from all 
sources combined, than formerly from snags alone, while 
the instability of the shores proved a loss, perhaps but 
little short of that to navigation, and in this way the 
batture of which I speak may have washed away in a 
single season. 

THE NEXT BIG DODGE. 

After the washing away of this batture, the Mississippi 
crossed the mouth of Wolf just above Cochran's saw-mill, 
(its course can still be clearly seen,) and struck the bluff 
at the foot of Jackson street, and washed its base from 
that to Fort Pickering. For twenty j^ears this little 
skirt of the original batture above Jackson street con- 
stituted the only landing at this point. The high water 
of 1828 is still spoken of by old boatmen, not only as 
being higher than since known, but for its long duration 
and the many changes wrought in the course of the river. 
It opened the Tennessee chute, washed away two small 
islands, and threatened for a time to make it the main 
channel of the river, and converting the space since oc- 
cupied by the batture into a tremendous eddy. This was 
some advantage to Memphis, or rather to the trading 
boats, on which her people were, in a great measure, de- 
pendent ; but to steamboats it proved rather an annoy- 
ance, while flatboats that intended giving Memphis the 
go-by not unfrequently found themselves forcibly drawn 
into the eddy, and made to rotate for hours, to the great 
delight of the boys on the bluff, who loved to hear boat- 
men swear, and many an awful cursing did our town re- 
ceive in this way. The date of this eddy may be set 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 197 

down as the clay on which this important and historical 
batture commenced its rise, though it did not show its 
head above water until four years afterward. 

THE FEARFUL WINTER. 

The winter of 1831-2 was remarkable for its severity 
and duration. The eddy was covered with a solid body 
of ice, a foot in thickness, for near three months together. 
The upper rivers were virtually frozen dry. The Mis- 
sissippi fell full four feet lower than was ever before or 
since known, and in many places the body of running 
water was not one hundred yards wide. Wolf river cut 
a channel below its ordinary bed four or more feet, and 
so narrow that an active man might leap it in many 
places. I observed, during this extreme low water, that 
there were large quantities of stone along the base of 
the bluff. Below Fort Pickering three rocks, larger than 
coach-bodies, made their appearance above water. On 
Wolf river, near the old cotton factory, there is a ledge 
of rock extending across the river, over which there was 
then a foot or more fall of water, and across which I 
have passed without wetting my feet. About the same 
time I one day took a walk across the ice about opposite 
Market street, and when out perhaps a hundred yards 
farther than the present shore I was surprised to see the 
ice bulged up and cracked, and that mud was being 
forced up through the crack. I took a stick and pushed 
it down in several places along the crack, and satisfied 
myself that the ice was resting on a bank of mud. I re- 
turned and went to old Henry James's grocery, where I 
found Gus Young, Frank McMahon and several others, 
to whom I related the circumstance. Not one of them 
would believe it, maintaining as they did that there was 
from fifty to one hundred feet of water at the place in- 



198 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

dicated, and my proposition to bet a treat for all hands 
on the truth of my assertion was readily accepted. It is 
needless to say that I won. The news soon spread that 
a bar was forming in front of the town, and crowds 
visited the place to witness the unpleasant phenomenon. 
Knowing ones declared that the bar was produced by 
extreme low water, which forced the mud out of the chan- 
nel, and that the first flood would readily wash it away. 
Those more familiar with the freaks of the Mississippi 
doubted it. The next year, although there had been 
very high water, the bar, so far from being washed away, 
proved to have increased some six feet in hight, and be- 
fore the river had reached ordinary low water was lying 
bare. A number of flatboats caught upon it, and a still 
larger number found themselves pocketed, for, as is usual 
with that character of bars, it rose most rapidly on its 
outer line, while steamboat pilots seemed slow to learn 
its whereabouts, and at certain stages of the water, for 
several 5^ears, nothing was more common than to see a 
steamer belching away, struggling to escape from the 
clutches of the hideous hidden bar. 

DAVID CROCKETT, SOCRATES AND THE REST. 

Scientific gentlemen advanced learned and elaborate 
opinions as to how it might be successfully removed, 
which contained about as much sense as is generally 
found from that source on similar matters. Old Davy 
Crockett's plan I think about as sensible as any, and as 
philosophical. He proposed to send up to New Madrid 
and procure a boatload of earthquake and sink the d — d 
thing. But while the citizens were grievously distressed 
at the prospect of its ruining the town, enterprising indi- 
viduals were planning how they could turn it to their 
advantage. A company with E. C. McAlpin at its head^ 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 



199 



laid a United States warrant upon it; the original pro- 
prietors of Memphis rushed to the rescue, claiming it as 
their individual property, while the corporation told 
them to " hands off," that the thing belonged wholly to 
the town. My title, by right of discovery, being at 
least equal to the two first named, might have been set 
up. A triangular lawsuit was commenced and contin- 
ued for upward of ten years, and was only compromised 
to secure the location of the navy-yard. A very impor- 
tant suit had previously been pending between the 
original proprietors and the corporation. It seemed that 
the° former had deeply regretted their liberality in do- 
nating the promenade, and determined to repossess it by 
indirect means. 

In a former communication I did the ancient Board of 
Mayor and Aldermen some injustice by stating that 
they had refused to allow the cutting of roads to the 
river below Market street. The fact that they had been 
notified by the proprietors that such acts would be a 
diversion of the property from the purposes for which it 
was donated, and annul the same, had escaped my 
memory at the time. They even forbade the Board or 
citizens to run a road under the bluff. Their plan was 
to shut the town off from the river by a far greater than 
mud-bar obstruction, and compel the restoration of the 
promenade for the mere privilege of extending the 
streets across it. . The report of this interesting and 
important suit can be found in Sixth Yerger, a singular 
feature of which was that the decision seems to have 
turned on a single clause in the original charter of 
Memphis, which, strange to say, has been omitted in 
every succeeding one. I might also add that the pro- 
prietors claimed all the ferriage, wharfage and raparian 
rights. The first of these they obtained, and, perhaps, 



200 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

would have succeeded in the others but for the decision 
in the Wright case alluded to. McAlpin, who was at- 
torney for the corporation, contended, and perhaps truly, 
that the John Rice grant extended no further than the 
bluff, and hence the laying of the warrant. 

One R. K. Turnage, some fifteen years later, found he 
had made a far greater discovery, which was, that there 
was still a space between the McAlpin line and the west- 
ern line of the Rice grant which did not call for the 
river, as will be be seen. Some copying clerk seemed to 
think the bank of a river not sufficiently definite, but 
that it was necessary to show the river, and supplied the 
supposed defect by a wriggling line of the pen, making 
some twenty curves in two miles, as represented by the 
plat. He also fell into a common error, and one which, 
perhaps, I ought to say nothing about, as I labored under 
the same, namely, that the Rice grant was never laid 
until 1820. The difference between Turnage and myself 
is, that he was a lawyer, with several millions pending, 
and I with nothing. Some, however, think there was 
more rogue than fool in Turnage, for he made considera- 
ble money out of the operation. He contended that the 
southern line of the Rice grant was about Third street, 
and laid a U. S. warrant on all twixt that and the bluif ; 
notified every tenant on it not to pay rent, and bobbed 
round like a flea in a mitten. Wherever he found a ten- 
der-footed case, he would relinquish his property for just 
what he could get, and in that way got a considerable 
amount. He was, however, very liberal, and relinquished 
all Church property. He even sent the Board of Mayor 
and Aldermen a relinquishment to the streets and alleys, 
but omitted the promenade and public squares. The 
Board informed him that, as they were short of station- 
ery, they would have much preferred the blank on which 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 201 

it was written. His claim, of course, amounted to 
nothing, except so far as his impudent or villianous pecu- 
lations were concerned. There was, however, a rather 
singular and, to him, damaging circumstance connected 
with this trial. Turnage's principal witness swore that 
Judge Overton was present when the processional sur- 
vey was made, and directed the Surveyor-General to 
commence well back from the river; that he wanted a 
large space in front, as some of the bluff might fall oflf. 
Now it so happened that on the day said survey was 
made, as the records show. Judge Overton was married, 
in Knoxville, to Mrs. Mar}^ May, widow of the distin- 
guished Colonel James May, and sister of the illustrious 
Hugh L. White, and the grand-mother of our fellow-citi- 
zen John Overton, Jr. It was further clearly shown that 
Judge Overton had not been to Memphis for several 
months prior to, or after, said processioning. But the 
most remarkable feature in this proceeding was that the 
citizens of Memphis were victimized to the amount of 
many thousands of dollars by the senseless, unauthorized 
and irresponsible act of a mere wriggle of the pen, which 
evidently was the origin of the error. 

The triangular fight over the mud bar was held in 
check by another triangular fight of greater extent, if 
not importance, between the States of Mississippi, Ten- 
nessee and the Chickasaw nation, as to which owned 
this bluff". 

THE INDIANS 

maintained that they had conveyed by geographical 
lines which, if properl}'- run, would have left this bluff 
in their reserve. Mississippi's claim was also based on 
false showings, while Tennessee, or rather Nashville, 
Tfho considered herself the State at that time, and even 



202 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

then seemed to fear that the star of empire might seek 
a location farther West, was perfectly willing that Mem- 
phis should he hid behind a mud bar, fall into the river 
or the hands of the Indians, but not into the State of 
Mississippi, which instead of checking, would do every- 
thing to advance her growth and importance. The 
people of Memphis were perfectly calm so far as the 
Indian claim was concerned, knowing that however just 
it might be there was no danger of it passing back into 
their hands. They were, however, not only willing but 
anxious to change their allegiance to Mississippi. 
Among other reasons the cotton of that State rated 
higher than that from States further north. But 
this has but very little to do with my story, except, 
as I before said, it delayed the question as to the 
ownership of the bar. It had the good effect of draw- 
ing the minds of the people from the ugly object on their 
river front, but, on the other hand, it worried the poor 
politicians mightily. I will simply add that when the 
line was finally re-run, instead of putting us in the 
State of Mississippi, it put us three miles farther off. 

NEW STATE. 

There was another question that I might allude to 
here, which was the formation of a new State out of that 
portion of Kentucky bounded by the Ohio, Tennessee 
and Mississippi rivers, all of West Tennessee, and that 
part of Mississippi known as the " Indian Reserve." Had 
this scheme been pressed at the time there would have 
been but little doubt of its success. It was said that 
President Jackson favored it, which was all it needed. 
The people of West Tennessee were then not only 
shamefully neglected by the other divisions, but a 
degree of illiberality was extended to us that was any- 



THE OLD TI3IES PAPERS. 203^ 

thing but just, even as late as Andy Johnson's Governor- 
ship, when he urged his " white basis theorj^ which, had 
it succeeded, would have transferred one member of Con- 
gress from this to another part of the State, and had a 
similar effect on the Legislature. But the feeling was 
even worse at the time the new State scheme was first 
agitated. Since the war, however, East Tennessee, find- 
ing she could not rule the State, has clamored for a sep- 
arate existence, and would, perhaps, be the more willing 
to let us slide. But had the thing taken place when first 
suggested, Memphis would have secured a start which, 
I believe, would have placed her beyond the reach of 
successful competition; in fact, Memphis was one 
of the names suggested for the State, and if not 'the 
most popular, was the least objectionable. Jackson 
was another name suggested, but Jackson's popu- 
larity was somewhat on the wane, and he had many 
bitter enemies, while Chickasaw, which was the only 
other name I remember to have heard of in this connec- 
tion, had but few advocates. The fact that neither 
of the two last mentioned would have given her any com- 
mercial character, and that Memphis would be a city 
long after Jackson and the Indians were no more, and, 
like New York, the State would derive more importance 
from the city than she would confer, were cousidera- 
of weight with many. The scheming politicians, 
however, did not see any personal benefits, or were jeal- 
ous of each other, and the scheme died for want of 
moderate nourishment. The subject is again broached, 
but I fear that little good would result from its accom- 
plishment. 

While these questions were agitating the people the 
bar was growing in hight and firmness; large quantities 
of drift, old flat boats and other unsightly objects were 



204 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

being lodged upon it, and finally a most luxuriant growth 
of young Cottonwood sprang up, threatening to shut 
Pinch out from a view of the river. 

THE FIRST ELEVATOR. 

In 1837, a company was formed, who built a wooden 
wharf, extending from the foot of Winchester street, 
across the bar to the river, a distance of some three hund- 
red yards. This bade fair to be a perfect success ; but, 
owing to a change in the river the next year it failed to 
be a safe landing and proved a failure. The Memphis and 
Lagrange railroad then proposed to build an embank- 
ment from the foot of Washington street to the river, 
on condition that the right of way through the town 
was given. The work was commenced, but the com- 
pany failed, and so did the embankment. The next 
undertaking was to build a road from the foot of Market 
street, running diagonally down, so as to have struck the 
river about opposite the foot of Poplar street, — the work 
of which had been progressing several days, when some 
of the proprietors, finding it out, ordered it stopped, 
very properly, though it would undoubtedly have proved 
a success, if finished. They then ran it directly out. 
Their great error was in not going two or three streets 
lower down. But 

PINCH HELD THE SWAT 

at the time, and determined that Market should be the 
southern point leading to the landing. What a pity 
that all her energy should have oozed out ! This proved 
.a failure from the same causes that the wooden wharf 
had. It was, however, a success in other respects. It 
established the feasibility of building a permanent road 
across the bar by merely throwing up the ground, a fact 
that was doubted by many, and by none more than your 
correspondent, who, being Wharfmaster at the time, and 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 205 

the highest functionary known to the bar, had, of course, 
considerable to say about what should be done for its 
benefit. It proved to be the best material of which a 
dirt road was ever made, it neither washes nor wears, 
cuts up, becomes muddy or even dusty; there it stands 
after a lapse of thirty years, with little or no repairs. 

The firmness of this embankment, went perhaps, 
further than any thing else to recommend the bar to the 
commissioners of the government sent on to examine 
the place in reference to a navy j^ard, but so far as its 
objects were concerned, as I said before, it proved a 
failure, and failure seemed to be the order of the day, 
for not only had the wharf and railroad companies 
failed, as already stated, but the government works, 
such as the arsenal and armory. The military road in 
Arkansas and other grand schemes set on foot by Gen. 
Gaines were hopelessly abandoned. NcA^er before, since 
Memphis had a corporate existence, had she been 
entirely without some scheme of national advance- 
ment. The bank suspended. The corporation credit 
became so low that she could not have built another 
road if she had been ever so much disposed. Several of 
our merchants failed, 

COTTON REACHED ITS LOWEST KNOWN POINT, 

and a general despondency was the result. But the darkest 
hour is said to be just before day, and such was the case 
with Memphis. Three years from that time she had 
doubled herself in wealth, population and importance; 
but I must stick to my subject. A crowd one day 
gathered at "Rounders Retreat," which was an every-day 
occurence, but at this time they had a new subject, 
being neither politics nor scandal. The oracle hastily 
entered with the news that a letter was published in the 



206 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

National Inteligencer over the name of " Union Jack," 
•written by one of the highest officers of the United 
States Navy, and addressed to Henry Clay, recommend- 
ing and urging the establishment of a Navy Yard at 
Memphis. The subject was treated as a mere joke, but 
the narrator assured the crowd that it was an absolute 
fact, that the paper containing it, he said, was at the 
Enquirer office, and would appear in its next issue. 
"What!" says one, "a navy -yard at Memphis, a thou- 
sand miles from sea. Fudge." The expression ap- 
peared to be generally concurred in. There was one, 
at least, who thought so then, and has never been able 
to think otherwise. " Why, where will they put it?" 
asked another. "Down on Jim's mud Bank," replied a 
third. This brought me and my dominion into notice, 
only to be laughed at. A fourth suggestion that some 
place up the bayou might be found to answer the pur- 
pose, while one Pinchite, with astonishing liberality 
proposed to give twenty feet square in the rear of his 
lot for its location. But the part in which I figured 
seemed to be looked upon as the most ridiculous. 

The next issue of the Enquirer brought out the letter, 
which proved to be a most remarkable piece of compo- 
sition of the highfalutin order; full of sea phrases 
and scientific technicalities; long lines of figures, and 
a heavy sprinkling of foreign languages. No effort was 
made at the plausible, but if the writer designed to show 
how handsome nonsense can be made to appear when 
dressed in fanc}^ language, his was certainly a splendid 
effort. It, however attracted but little attention, as did 
the succeeding ones over 

"the name of harry bluff," 
until we learned that they were being favorably consia- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 207 

ered at Washington and in Eastern cities. Perhaps the 
novelty of the idea had considerable to do with it, or 
perhaps, as was afterward charged, it was onl}^ a tub 
thrown out to the whale. The southern members of 
Congress had raised considerable outcry about the heavy 
appropriations made to the North, while so little was 
done for their section, that the former was willing to give 
them the shadow, but not the substance of a beneficial 
institution. My opinion is that the ignorance of the 
Northern members in reference to the general depth 
of the Missisippi led them to do what, if better informed, 
they would not have done. So it was that our first en- 
couragement came from Northern politicians, who proved 
very clever and posted us as to how to proceed. First, 
said they, get the Legislature of Tennessee to petition 
Congress in your behalf. This was thought a very easy 
matter, but proved to be a rather difficult one. at least 
so far as Memphis was concerned; and no less than six 
other points were urged as substitutes, all in the interior. 
One was on Duck river, another at the Smoky Fork of 
Pinej^, if anybody knows where that is. Some may 
suppose that this was mere pleasantry, but not a bit of 
it, and gave offense when so charged. It was finally 
compromised by putting in all seven, and leaving it to 
Congress to select the one she thought most suitable, and 
Memphis went through like a knife, subject, however, to 
favorable inspection. 

In the spring of 1843 our city was honored by the 
j)resence of three handsome young men — at least, our 
ladies said they were handsome — whose insignia indi- 
cated that one was a First, and the other two Second- 
Lieutenants of the United States Navy. Their papers 
from the Department charged them to make a thorough 
examination of this point, in reference to its suitability 



208 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

for a naval depot and dock-yard. They were immedi- 
ately taken in charge by our dignitaries, toasted, feasted 
and lionized for three days and nights, when it was 
thought they were in a proper condition for business. I 
was then summoned before the Mayor, who issued his 
orders with all the pomp of a British Admiral, which was 
to have the finest pleasure-boat at the landing for an ex- 
cursion at a certain hour. The idea of the highest civil 
officer of the most interesting spot of ground on earth 
coming down to the position of a boatswain did not agree 
with my notions of propriety. But as I did not intend 
to obey — for the reason that I thought the less anybody 
saw of that bar the better they would like it — I bowed 
submissively, with an "Aye, aye, sir," that would have 
done credit to the oldest tar in the service. At the ap- 
pointed time I returned in haste with a disappointed air, 
assuring his honor that there was nothing over the size 
of a frail skiff at the landing, wholly unfit for the pur- 
pose — giving him a wink at the same time ; but, I added, 
I think a walk out to the new road or the old wharf will 
furnish a better view than passing around it in a boat 
ax, this stage of water. After a moment's hesitation, the 
Maj^or turned to the senior officer and asked if he thought 
that would answer? He replied that he thought it would ; 
to which the two juniors nodded assent. The party then 
repaired to the river, which happened to be at a very 
high stage, and the road, never quite high enough, was 
nearly submerged. We were enabled, however, to pass 
out dry-footed, the trees having been cut away to the 
distance of some thirty feet on each side to procure dirt 
for the embankment. I call them trees for they were in 
hight, being an average of thirty feet, though not larger 
than corn-stalks — owing to their standing so thick — being 
equal to one to every square foot of ground. This road 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 209 

presented decidedly the nost favorable view of the bar, 
and I should have been glad to have terminated the 
inspection there, but the proposition was made, and 
accepted, to take a walk out to the old wharf or bridge 
as it was commonly called. This was found to be in a 
miserably dilapidated condition, while the surroundings 
were not only unsightl}^, but in many instances sicken- 
ening. The Mayor, aside, whispered: "It would have 
been much better to have gotten a boat and not brought 
them through this assassin-looking place," which on ac- 
count of the trees could hardly be been from the bluff. 
At the outer end of the bridge there was a shed which 
had become the headquarters for a set of vagabonds 
and boatmen, who happened to be there in large force. 
Here the senior, thinking it a good place to display his 
oratorj^, in a voice indicating one of double his years — 
he appeared to be about twenty-five — addressed the- 
Mayor, as near as I remember, in the following words: 

Maj^or Hickman, sir, I am delighted at the prospect 
before me. When the duties of this mission was im- 
posed upon me by my government I had no idea that 
so favorable a location, sir, could have been found on the 
Mississippah rivah, sir, for a Naval Depot and Dockyard 
as I here find in front of your beautiful cit}^, sir; and I 
shall consider it my dut}^ and also my pleasure, sir, not 
only to report favorably, but to urge its establishment as 
a matter of the greatest national importance." Here the 
loafers gave a jeU, and I am told that the Ma3'or and 
the two subs, nodded, but I did not see them. I did not 
see anybod}^ during the delivery of that speech. Next 
day some person, finding the naval gentlemen so easily 
pleased, got them in a skiff and rowed them round, when 
they went through the form of taking soundings, obser- 
vations, etc. They also visited South Memphis and 

14 



210 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

Fort pickering, but as neither of these places had mud 
bars, they were pronounced unsuitable. 

PINCH TRIUMPHED 

over all her competitors, for the thing was now looked 
upon, as it afterward proved to be, fixed. It was sur- 
prising to see how suddenly the mud-bar rose in public 
estimation. Those who but a short time before looked 
upon it with a loathing and distress were now seen 
viewing it with smiles of delight. The old bridge, des- 
pite of dead dogs and ragged vagrants, became a fash- 
ionable resort. The ignorant asked questions which 
were readily answered, and the whole thing was ex- 
plained by the still more ignorant. Many were found to 
tell of the persecutions they endured in the form of 
gibes and gears for its early advocacy. Prominent 
among these was the oracle of the Eounders Retreat, 
who never tired telling of the cruel rebuffs he had met 
with in its defense. 

But the trouble was not yet over. The proprietors 
and warrant holders, whose claims were considered 
worthless, though still pending, were determined to force 
the corporation to a recognition of them or defeat the 
location of the Navy Yard, and to buy them off, she was 
obliged to give them two-thirds or one-third each of the 
residue of the batture, being from Market to Adams 
street. Nor was this all. A portion of the people 
denied the right of the corporation to donate the pub- 
lic property ; that the government was able to purchase ; 
and that if we had anything to give away we had poor 
people enough among us that needed all our charities. 
But the " poor-man" cry had pretty well played out and 
the philanthropists failed in making the capital they 
anticipated. A public meeting was called, which almost 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 211 

unanimously authorized the donation. Our old friend 
Wardlo^v Howard insisted upon recording his name 
against it. The passage of the bill through Congress 
was an easy matter. John B. Ashe was the member 
from this district at the time. I mention this because 
it is thought by many to have been the work of 

F. p. STANTON, 

who, however, was its great advocate, and labored assid- 
uously for it for ten years. As to the erection of 
the buildings, and the other work within the yard, I shall 
have but little to say, for one reason, that I know perhaps 
less about it than almost an}^ other citizen. There were 
too many fool regulations, as I considered them, and it 
was a lucky man that went in and out without receiving 
some specimen of satrap insolence; besides I have 
plenty of outside incidents to make this story indecently 
long, and my principal object is to revive such matters 
as might be overlooked or forgotten. 

For several j^ears the appropriations were moderately 
liberal; after which they became grudgingly and grad- 
ually less; and what may seem strange, the great 
trouble was from the Southern members, who began to 
look upon the Memphis Navy Yard as a great humbug; 
and well they might, for no sooner would one of them 
speak of the neglect of the South than they were re- 
minded of the greatest novelty of earth, a Navy- Yard a 
thousand miles from sea. Stanton says that for several 
terms his hands were completely tied. It required all 
the log-rolling and wire-pulling that he was master of, 
to keep it up as long as he did. It was with difficult}^ he 
could command even the aid of the members from 
adjoining districts, or those of Arkansas and Mississippi, 
who were almost as much interested as himself. It 



212 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

was known in Congress as Stanton's pet, and threat- 
ened to be killed daily if he did not act as they desired. 
There was also another cause for its abandonment, and 
perhaps the most effectual — the opposition of the naval 
officers placed in charge of it. It is a well-known pecu- 
liarity of seafaring persons, from a Rear Admiral down, 
that they are greatly attached to the sea, and a month 
on shore, even in a seaport city, is almost unendurable — 
how much more so to be compelled to remain for twelve 
months in a small interior town, where the sight of a 
ship, or the association of comrades never greeted them. 
Beside, our citizens stopped lionizing them, and they 
became soured; and, in some instances, uncivil — they 
cursed the place, reflected on the government for bury- 
ing them in such a hole, and very soon discovered that 
this was the last place on earth for the establishment of 
a Navy Yard. The absurdity of having a board of 
naval officers — some of them mere boys, so ignorant 
that they did not know oak from poplar, or lime from 
cement — to superintend the erection of buildings and 
the construction of machinery, and lord it over qualified 
architects and master mechanics, can only be explained 
by sa3dng " England does it." As 

A SPECIMEN 

of their capacity for such positions, I will cite an 
instance related to me by the master painter. He was 
one day summoned before a young lieutenant, v. ho ad- 
dressed him: " Sir, I know what a painter can do! A 
painter can paint three of those windows in a day, sir; 
and if you have any men who fail to paint three 
windows in a day, send them to me, sir, and I will dis- 
charge them. Do you hear, sir." " Yes, sir." " Then, 
see that you do it." After which he was dismissed 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 213 

with an authoritative wave of the hand. Now, the paint- 
ing of such a window was hardly a good hour's work, 
and to be compelled to put ten mortal hours on three 
such windows was perhaps as difficult a task as could 
have been imposed upon them, but such were the im- 
perative orders. All the windows in the jsird were of 
uniform size, and more than a thousand of them. I 
could, and might give numerous other instances, but 
this will suffice. I do hope that the day will soon come 
when the working men will compel the government to 
]Dut proper persors in their proper places, even though it 
be an innovation on the established rules of the mother 
country. I might also tell how the most costly liquors, 
cigars, etc., were purchased and charged to the govern- 
ment under false names; fine horses were entered as 
draught horses, and servants as teamsters, But I sup- 
pose such things are common even at the White House, 
and shall, therefore, ssiy nothing further on that point. 

HOW THE NAVY YARD WAS KNOCKED INTO " PI." 

The disaffected naval officers wrote numerous letters 
to the Department, deprecating the continuance of the 
Navy Yard at this j^lace, and the consequence was the 
sending of a Commission, of which Congress had no 
knowledge, to examine and report. This Commission 
was composed of some of the ablest officers of the navy, 
who came and returned without the knowledge of our 
citizens until their report was published, which was, in 
substance, that so far as a rope-walk and some other mat- 
ters were concerned, it would do very well, but in every- 
thing else it would not do at all. From that time appro- 
priations were limited or confined to the objects men- 
tioned in the report of the last Commission. Ex-Governor 
James C. Jones was then in the Senate, and labored to 



214 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

secure the completion of the Navy Yard according to the 
original design, in a much bolder and dignified 
spirit than Stanton. When the appropriations for 1853 
were reported to the Senate, with only thirteen thou- 
sand to the Memphis Navy Yard, Jones was grievously 
incensed, and demanded that the property should be re- 
turned to the city. The Senate jumped at the proposi- 
tion, and Memphis owes the property to Governor Jones' 
earnest action. 

But I did not intend to bring my story down to so 
recent a point. Were I to recount the agitation engaged 
in by the people of Memphis on the question of receiving 
the Navy Yard, with all its appurtenances, or compelling 
the Government to continue it, there is no knowing where 
it would end. 

A DOUBLE-BARRELED EDITOR. 

But I must tell, just here, a story upon an editor, who 
still flourishes in this city. There was never greater local 
excitement than that which grew out of this infernal 
Navy Yard business. Half the people were in favor of 
accepting the property, while the other half were opposed 
to it; the latter thinking the Government might be in- 
duced, even yet, to make liberal appropriations, and per- 
fect the Navy Yard, and build ships and steamers here. 
There were two newspapers published here at the time — 
one a morning publication, edited by a gentleman of no 
ordinary ability, named Bankhead, who was tragically 
and mysteriously assassinated some years since. There 
was another, an afternoon paper, called the News, (I 
believe that was its name), edited by a gentleman named 
Yancey. These editors opposed one another on the 
Navy Yard question, and their discussions had begotten 
a good deal of excitement, when both went away for the 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 215 

summer, and each, without the other's knowledge, em- 
ployed the same man (this young lawyer) to conduct his 
paper in his absence. The young limb of the law 
naturally enough took to both sides of the question. He 
made the controversy between the two papers hotter and 
hotter on each successive day. Crowds gathered each 
afternoon about the News office, and everybody expected 
that the two furious editors would shed blood. The 
coming duel in Arkansas was confidently anticipated, and 
the ferocity of the two papers was marvelous. Popular 
excitement was intense when Bankhead came hurrying 
home from Virginia, and Yancey from Alabama, each 
thinking that the other was about to murder his own 
substitute. Such was the fervor of popular feeling and 
exasperation, that the story was necessarily kept quiet. 
If the mischievous fraud upon public passion had been 
exposed at the time, the con amore editor would have 
fared badly, to say the least. The vote, at an informal 
election, was slightly against receiving the Navy Yard, 
but as the Board of Mayor and Aldermen had never au- 
thorized or recognized the election, they accepted the 
donation despite of the vote. 

I am constrained just here to give a short account of 

THE GREAT IRON STEAMSHIP 

of war, Alleghanj^, which, with the exception of her hull, 
was built and equipped at this bar, as there may be 
some not aware that an enterprise of that magnitude 
formed a part of her history — and would that I could 
say that she proved a success; but unfortunately the 
contrary was the case. She was built of iron, and 
mounted three pivot guns of greater caliber than any of 
her day. Her propelling power was submarine, which, 
with her machinery generally, was of an entire new 



216 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

invention, and it was confidently expected that her 
speed would surpass an3^thing propelled b}^ steam on 
water. So fearful was lier builder that emissaries from 
foreign governments would steal her secret powers before 
she was able to play smash among their navies, that she 
was anchored out in the stream, where she gave 
evidence of her destructive capacit}^ bj^ sinking 
some half dozen flatboats, which, with their cargoes, the 
government had to pay for. When completed, a trial 
trip was made, and the bon ton of the city and countiy 
were invited to partake of her feast, and enjo}^ her flight. 
So far as the feast was concerned, the thing was complete, 
particularl}^ in the liquor line, but when it came to flight, 
it proved a mistake; scarcely was she able to stem the 
current of the Mississippi, which was then at an ordinary 
stage. She went up to the foot of 

THE OLD HEN, 

then down to near the head of President's Island, and 
then back to her mooring at the bar, firing heavy guns 
every five minutes. On her way up she was greatly an- 
noyed by a set of boys, in skiff's and dug-outs, paidling 
around and around her, while the black smoke was rolling 
out of her in dense and heavy bodies. But if she did 
look to persons on shore as hardly moving, those on 
board evidently thought that she was making a perfect 
blue streak, and from the quantit}^ of empty baskets they 
left, it is likely that everything flew around in their eyes. 
After getting thoroughly stufl'ed and soaked, they or- 
ganized into a meeting, with the Mayor in the chair, and 
Fred. Stanton orator in chief, who presented a set of 
resolutions extolling the Alleghany, Captain Hunter and 
the gallant crew to the skies. One of the resolutions 
declared that the speed of the AUeghanj- was equal to 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 217 

the first-class steamers of the Mississippi. An im- 
promptu meeting of the boatmen voted that she could 
hardly run at all. Some, who had pretended to time her, 
reported that her speed was four miles to the hour down 
stream, and four hours to the mile up stream. These 
were, however, an ignorant set of fellows, who had no 
right to know anything about war ships. A great many, 
however, were strongly inclined to agree with them, my- 
self among the number, until we read Stanton's resolu- 
tions. But Stanton's part of the job did not end with 
the resolutions. The Alleghany was bound to live in 
song, so Fred, summoned the Muses and set to work — 
and such a song! 

JOLLY. 

The AUeghan}^ was represented as walking as a thing 
of life; plowing the briny main; bidding defiance to 
wind and tide; striking terror to the enemies of her 
country, and frightening poor old Neptune out of his 
wits. The thing was said to have been set to music, but 
no one was ever found to make music out of it. So, 
after banging half the pianos in town out of tune, and 
ruining some of our finest voices, it was discarded as a 
nuisance. 

The Alleghan}^ in a few days after her trial trip, put 
quietly out and took her course down the river. Her 
design was to go to New York, but after a tedious trip, 
she put into Norfolk, when an inspection resulted in the 
removal of the submarine propellers and the substitution 
of side wheels, after which she put to sea again, but was 
soon after towed back, in consequence of some breakage 
in her machinery, when another inspection took place, 
which resulted in her total condemnation, after having 
cost the Government near half a million of dollars, 



218 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

which was small, perhaps, compared with the crushed 
hopes of her projectors. 

The history of this mud bar I have merely touched, 
and it is questionable whether another spot of ground on 
earth, for the same length of time, has been the subject 
of so much controversy, and, alternately, inspired the 
fears and hopes, the brilliant expectations and the 
crushing disappointments, that have attended its varying 
career. Whether the location of a Navy Yard upon it 
was the result of wisdom or folly is perhaps a debatable 
question ; but it is certain that it gave Memphis an im- 
petus to which she is wholly indebted for her present 
prosperous condition, the force of which the most trying 
ordeal has failed to break, and, with prudent manage- 
ment, will not cease until — but I am no prophet. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 219 



THE CHURCHES OF MEMPHIS IN EARLY DAYS 



Editors Appeal — It seems that when a man turna 
historian he is supposed to know everything that occurred 
in the time and place of which he writes, and as religion 
is the subject most interesting to the largest portion of 
all communities, it is not strange that some should look 
upon it as very unnatural that a person could be observ- 
ant of minor matters and overlook the more important. 
In pleading ignorance, as I have done heretofore, I would 
not have it understood that I have been indifferent, but 
have simply failed to give the Church, in early days, that 
attention which would enable me to do the subject jus- 
tice; beside, there are older citizens here than myself, 
and some of them not only church members, but minis- 
ters. It is, therefore, a delicate undertaking. But I 
shall be very careful not to touch on sectarian or doc- 
trinal points. As to who preached the first sermon on 
this bluff, or, perhaps, many succeeding ones, is a ques- 
tion which I do not think could now be answered, with 
any degree of certainty. My observation was that 
preachers were far more numerous, in proportion to the 
population, in early times than at present. No commu- 
nity, of a dozen or less families, was without one, such 
" as "they were, who thought, or tried to make others be- 
lieve, they were called to the ministry ; and, strange to 
say, the call generally fell on the most ignorant in mat- 
ters pertaining to this world, but most astonishingly 
knowing in reference to the " world to come." 

THEIR MARVELLOUS WISDOM. 

They could describe the Kingdom of Heaven more 



220 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

minutely than most men of the present day could des- 
cribe their wives' bedroom; they could give a full bill of 
fare of all the pleasures indulged in there; also, a pro- 
gramme, necessary to be followed, to the letter, in order 
to obtain admittance; but when they reached Pluto's 
regions they became omniscient — could dwell for hours 
on that horrible lake of fire and brimstone in which all 
sinners, particularly those who lived within five miles of 
their ministrations and failed to attend, were doomed to 
wriggle through all eternity. It is more than likely that 
this bluff was blessed with one or more preachers of this 
kind even before the Jackson Purchase, in 1818, as speci- 
mens continued to appear for many years, and in some 
of the rural districts they flourish even yet. 

I do not think that the Methodist Conference extended 
their circuits over the Indian Territory before the Pur- 
chase, but did so immediately after. I do not remember 
who rode this circuit before Rev. Thomas Davidson. He 
is still living. He rode in 1826-7, if I am not mistaken. 
I think, however, that Rev. Mr. Glenn, father of the late 
General P. B. Glenn, was one of his predecessors. He 
was a good and pious man, but had his weaknesses, one 
of which would probably come under the head of nepo- 
tism, at least so far as his children were concerned, par- 
ticularly Phil, whom he looked upon as the greatest 
specimen of human wisdom that had ever come forth, 
and when he saw him elected to the Legislature he seemed 
to think the next step would be the Presidency. 

PAY AND PERQUISITES. 

The circuit-rider received the enormous salary of one 
hundred dollars a year, out of which to pay sll his ex- 
penses, beside furnishing a horse. But his expenses 
were comparatively small; the meanest man in the coun- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 221 

try would not think of charging a preacher for staying 
all night. They also received many presents in clothing. 
I knew a circuit-rider to receive a present of a pair of 
boots on one occasion, said to be the first he had ever 
worn. The sisters were generally very liberal, and half 
the women in the country taxed themselves one pair of 
socks a year, which, above his necessities, no doubt, 
brought him in a handsome little sum annually. He also 
had perquisites, such as marrjdng people, funeral ser- 
mons, and christening babies — the latter two did not pay 
much, being looked upon generally as gratuitous, but the 
first paid from one to five dollars per match. Rev. Sam- 
uel Cowan, a pious and truly good man, was once sent for 
to marry a couple. It proved to be a dark, cold, sleety 
night, and he had to ford a rapid and dangerous stream, 
while the distance was about ten miles. Arriving at the 
house he saw that the prospects of a liberal fee were slim ; 
the people appeared quite poor and the entertainment un- 
inviting. The morning after the ceremony had been per- 
formed, and Sam ready to leave, the old lady took him to 
one side and said: "Brother Cowan, I know you have 
come a long way on a bad road, through a miserable 
night, and you ought to be well paid, but we are very 
poor and have no money, but here," she added, with a 
tremulous voice and hand, as she drew from beneath her 
apron two large balls of shoe-thread, " is something which 
may be of some use to you, and which I hope you will 
accept until we are more able to pay you." The old 
man says he was never more profoundly affected. That 
old woman in addition to her ordinary work, had not 
only raised and picked the cotton, but had seeded it 
with her own fingers, as was commonly done at that time. 
Her labor, properly estimated, was certainly the equiv- 
alent of a larsfe fee for a similar service at this time. 



222 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

THE JOCKEYS. 

There were other means resorted to by some ministers 
for raising money, which were not only discreditable, 
but criminal. Perhaps the most general, innocent and 
legitimate one practised was horse-trading. Preachers, 
and particularly circuit-riders, were good judges of 
horses and very hard to suit. Their objections to those 
they wished to dispose of were such as were most likely 
to recommend them to others. They were very fre- 
quently in need of small sums of money for some 
charitable or other commendable purpose, varying from 
ten to twenty-five, according to the amount they thought 
they could chouse from the man they proposed to swap 
with as boot, and at the same time, perhaps, get a better 
horse. These things were easily practised in those days. 
There was a very general reverence for preachers, and 
most people were willing to give them advantages in 
horse and other trades, which, I am sorry to say, few of 
them were too pious to take advantage of. Most persons 
looked upon a preacher as a sort of superior being, and 
appellations of "chicken-devourer," or "journeyman soul- 
saver," were not known to the most wicked. 

woman's ESTATE. 

The old women of the country claimed the butter, 
chickens and eggs as their private property, not liable 
for the husband's debts, or subject to his necessities. 
These women were stingy, even to meanness, and would 
give you nothing but hog and hominy from one week's 
end to another, except on special occasions, one of which 
was the visit of the preacher, and then a half a dozen 
or more chicken's heads would come off at a time. 
Butter was set out by pounds, and eggs by the dozens, 
cooked and aone up in all manner of ways, together with 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 223 

" flour-doings," sweetmeats and extra fixings in profu- 
sion. No matter at what time the preacher arrived, or 
how much the "crap" was in the grass, all hands in- 
cluding the negroes, knocked off and had holiday until 
after prayers next morning. During the evening they 
would hold a family prayer-meeting, in which the ne- 
groes would participate, for the theory of Ariel, that 
negroes had no souls, and were more nearly allied to the 
brute than the human species, did not prevail at that 
time. They were, however, placed under restrictions, 
and their demonstrations confined to grunts and groans, 
with such expressions as " Glorj^, bless de Lord," and a 
moderate clapping of hands. Possessed as they are with 
strong lungs and a peculiar impressiveness, calculated to 
produce alternately a titter and a blush, this precaution 
was necessary. When, however, they got in the woods, 
under the preaching of one of their own color, they 
went in with a perfect looseness. Everybody was glad 
to see the preacher come, even the mistress, who had 
to shell out her marketable goods, but more partic- 
ularly those who were fond of the good things of this life. 

A LOVE STORY. 

I am here tempted to relate a love story. Your readers 
are, however, advised not to be too inquisitive as to dates, 
localities, etc., or even whether the names are, or are not 
genuine. There was a circuit- rider who answered to the 
rather unpoetic name of Hodge, whose build, intellect 
and education seemed to have designed him originally 
for a rail splitter, but to do him justice, a very fair 
specimen of manly beauty. I think, however, that he 
mistook his calling, though what Hodge lacked in talents 
he made up in zeal, and he dealt out fire and brimstone 
with a lavish hand. It is questionable whether that 



224 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

class of preachers were not calculated to do more good 
in the backwoods than those of better education. I 
have even heard it argued that talents and devotion did 
not go well together; that like a pair of scales, as the 
former rises the latter naturally descends. But, however 
numerous the instances adduced in support of this 
theory, I am not prepared to admit it. Whatever may 
have been thought of Hodge's intellectual abilities, all 
acknowledged his piety. In the neighborhood where he 
most officiated, there dwelt a maiden lady in reference 
to whose age she and the public diflered — a Miss Jane 
Strickland, more generally known among the young folks 
as " Jinny Strichnine." Jenny was moderately good- 
looking, and more intelligent than most women in these 
parts. She sang like a nightingale, leaped like an ante- 
lope, bleated like a fawn, and talked like a book; in fact, 
she talked too much, and said things that injured her- 
self more than those of whom she spoke. Jenny had 
other peculiarities, among which were fear of the Lord^ 
love of cats, and hatred of children, which latter, most 
likely, had something to do with the slight perversion of 
the name above mentioned. She was particularly 
anxious to get to heaven after quitting this " vale of 
tears," as she called this much abused world of ours 
Why she was so desirous of getting to where there were 
no cats, and lots of children, I am unable to explain, 
as, also, why she was so over-anxious to marry, a thing 
that generally brings children after it — but there is 
no use to inquire into an old maid's inconsistencies. 
Jenny, as you are by this time aware, was an active 
member of the church, and played a star engagement 
at prayer and camp meetings. She seemed, in fact, to be 
a sort of circuit-rider herself. For although Hodge 
and Jenny met frequently, they rarely ever met at the^ 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 225 

same appointed and loved spot. Unintentionally of 
course, on Jenny's part, though on the occasion of which 
I am about to speak, it would seem, she had anticipated 
meeting him. It was at a well-to-do farmers, where 
Hodge had often stopped before, and was always greeted 
with hearty welcome and treated to sumptuous repasts. 
He was not only met with all former warmth, but had 
the agreeable surprise of meeting with his favorite 
supporter. The devotions were marked with the usual 
fervor, while everything else with more good taste and 
vivacity, for Jenny could make herself useful from the 
parlor to the kitchen, and, when out of the dumps was 
the best of company. 

THE DEX0UE3IEXT. 

It was at a late hour when the party broke up for the 
night, Hodge occupying the bed in the parlor, which, of 
course, was the best in the house, while Jenny was 
doomed to put up, not only with the same room, but act- 
ually with the bed of the children. She was, however,, 
prepared for all this, as she had a momentous object to 
accomplish, and was willing to meet even greater trials 
than the one we mention. Hodge, on retiring, was re- 
quested not to secure the door, as the servants would re- 
quire to enter, in order to make a morning fire. Although 
it was the month of May, the mornings were yet unpleas- 
antly cool. Whether either my hero or heroine sle]pt 
well, I am not prepared to say, but certainly the former 
slept late, or rather would have slept late, as is too com- 
mon with great men, had it not been for the clear, shrill 
voice of Jenny, as she sang his favorite h} mn, with a 
force and fascination calculated to charm the birds to 
silence, and cause the rats to leave their holes. Hodge 
not only awoke, but found himself, involuntaril}-, joining 

15 



226 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

in the song. Jennj^ finding herself supplied with an ex- 
cuse for a becoming apology, at the proper time, hastily 
fled, while he arose, and met a surprise; an object lay 
before him on a chair, which he picked up and examined 
all over. 

THE SHIRT ! 

Would you believe me? It was one of the finest shirts 
that Hodge had ever seen; the nicest standing collar, 
plaited bosom — no frill, of course; that would not have 
become a preacher, though then the st3de of the " world- 
lings;" beautiful pearl buttons, a profusion of the finest 
stitching, and, to cap the whole, it was starched from col- 
lar to tail, and ironed until it was stiff as vellum, smooth 
as polished steel, and white as alabaster. After exam- 
ining and admiring it for some time, he proceeded to get 
into it, which, owing to its stiffness, was no easy job; but 
he made the trip. Hodge was not a vain man, 3^et it was 
thought that he consulted the glass more closely that 
morning than a proper degree of meekness would seem 
to have justified. When fully dressed, face washed, hair 
combed, clothes brushed, and a final look in the glass, he 
sallied forth to the passage, where another surprise 
awaited him. Jenny met him with a most winning smile, 
advancing with hands extended, across which laid a beau- 
tiful white cravat, starched and ironed, then folded and 
re-ironed, w^hich she proceeded to place around his neck 
with her own delicate hands, and tied it in one of the neat- 
est and most becoming double bow-knots ever seen. It 
was not, however, accomplished until after several unsat- 
isfactoiy attempts, during which she would catch Hodge 
by the chin and throw his head back, re-arrange and jerk 
it forward, with a degree of force seemingly unnecessary, 
but purely sisterly. " To the pure all things are pure," 
though poor Hodge's heart thumped during the operation 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 227 

loud enough to have been heard a hundred yards. When 
she finally succeeded, and the smile of triumph displaced 
the pout of vexation on her lip, and she, uninten- 
tionally, brought it too close to some others, he yielded 
to temptation. Now, I ought not to tell this on Hodge, 
but I suppose I must — he actually snatched a kiss. Jenny 
did not do as man}^ cruel girls would have done under 
similar circumstances. She did not slap Hodge in the 
face. She simply uttered a half-suppressed scream, 
leaped from the passage, flew to the arbor, and hid her 
blushes among the roses. I never blamed Hodge for 
that. Wh}^,^ sir, if it had been me — but never mind about 
me. Poor Hodge thought he had committed a most ter- 
rible sin, and to the thumping of his heart was added the 
shaking of his whole body. What to do he did not 
know. After some hesitation he wisely determined to 
make a confidant of the head of the family, who, very 
generously, undertook the noble task of mediator, and 
most admirabl}" did he succeed. Jenny was induced to 
return, when Hodge made every apology. He should, I 
think, have been made to return that kiss, but Jenny was 
too modest to demand, and Hodge too bashful to propose 
it; so, to use duelists' language, the " explanation was 
satisfactory, the apology suflScient, and the difficulty ad- 
justed in a manner alike honorable to both parties." 
Hodge went through his devotional duties with a palpi- 
tating heart and tremulous accents; in fact, he was 
hardly audible; but due allowance, and no remarks, w^ere 
made. At breakfast, however, a degree of hilarity was 
indulged in, rather unusual among sedate people, and 
many playful remarks about stifi" shirts and stolen 
kisses were so pointedly applied, that Jenny tried to 
blush, but it was said to be the only thing she ever was 
known to fail in. Hodo-e, however, blushed enough for 



228 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

both, and although he was highly complimented on his 
gallantry and usual fine looks, he was miserably at ease, 
the starched shirt was so stiff that it kept him constantly 
annoyed; for every time he moved it rattled, and every 
time it rattled everybody laughed, except Jenny, who, 
to do her justice, did not intend it should act in that 
way. Hodge could not eat, and had to plead sickness; 
in fact, he was sick. 

jenny's love. 

Jenny was very attentive to him ; gave him hot tea, 
and hot water to bathe his feet; advised a walk in the 
cool air, as he had a slight fever; and for fear he might 
grow worse, she felt it her duty to accompany him. Now, 
if anybody expects me to tell what passed between the 
lovers during this walk, they will be disappointed. I 
am not the man to divulge private and confidential in- 
terviews. It is enough for others to know that when 
they did return, the matter was settled. The vows were 
uttered, their hearts united and the marriage-day fixed. 
The gossips were taken by surprise. Half a dozen 
country belles, some of whom could boast of solid 
charms, had set their caps, stocked the cards and spread 
their net to catch the handsome minister, with fair pros- 
pects of success. To think the despised " Jenny Strick- 
nine " should enter the ring at a late hour, distance the 
field on the first heat, and triumphantly bear off the 
prize, was distressingly humiliating. But what could 
they do? Hodge was an honorable man. His pledge 
was given, and the die cast. About two weeks after the 
events at the farmhouse, the special aid of another 
minister was required, Hodge redeemed his pledge, and 
the fair donor of the stiff shirt became his happy bride. 
It is said that preachers generally marry rich; if so. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 229 

Hodge was an exception. Jenny was poor. After the 
marriage, it was said Hodge's shirts were not starched 
so heavily. It was also said that she, to use the vulgar 
expression, " wore the breeches." The way she yelled at 
Hodge, and the way Hodge jumped when she shouted, 
did make it look a little that way. But she made him a 
very good wife. I might add that preachers' wives are 
said to be very fruitful vines, as they call them, but 
Jenny was ever childless. Hodge was very much dis- 
tressed about it, and I think her objections to children 
had undergone a change for the better. But I am, finally, 
through with this stor}^ and glad of it. 

OLD BROTHER DAVIDSON. 

I believe I was speaking of Tom Davidson when I 
commenced meandering, and I am sorry to acknowledge 
that I know so little of his history. I simply know that 
he had the name not only of being a pretty good man, 
but a tolerablj^ fair, rough country preacher. He lives 
down in the neighborhood of Shakerag, and I think comes 
to town but seldom ; at least, I have not met with him for 
twelve months or more. I suppose that our friend Jno. 
W — n might have posted me, as he was once old Tom's 
right hand man, occupied a prominent position in the 
" amen corner," and "raised the hymns." I am sorry to 
say that Thomas has slightly blackslidden since then ; 
but I hope he will retrace his wayward steps, and come 
out all right jet. 

" BROTHER COFFEY." 

I must go back of Davidson a little to notice Eev. 
Elijah Coffey, a shoemaker by trade, who came here in 
1825. I wish I could pass him unnoticed, as he sank to 
very degrading depths ; but of his private character I 
shall have nothing to say further than that the wife he 



230 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

had when he came here, and which I understand was his 
second wife, was a most estimable woman, and although 
some bad tales were told of Coffey in Illinois, where he 
came from, his deportment here during her lifetime 
was not materially objectionable. I will be under the 
necessity of taking, in connection with a brief history 
of Coffey, also one of Eev. Silas T. Toncray. I ought, 
in fact to go still further back, and give old Uncle Harry 
Lawrence a passing notice, who came here before either 
the two last alluded to. He certainly cut a considerable 
figure among his own color, and often preached to mixed 
congregations. I might also speak of some straggling 
preachers and others of the class alluded to in the early 
part of my story, but of most of these the less said the 
better. 

BROTHER COFFEY AND PHILIP S. WHITE. 

Toncray was a very good, and I might say a moral 
man. He certainly was a very ingenious and useful man. 
He was a silversmith, watchmaker, engraver, sign painter, 
druggist and dentist; also, a doctor and preacher. The 
last two trades he had better never have undertaken. 
In the others he was moderatel}'' proficient. He and 
Coffey both belonged to the Baptist Church, though I 
think the former was of the " Hard-Shell " and the latter 
of the " Free-Will " persuasion. I don't think they ever 
got along well together. Coffey felt himself the superior 
of Toncray, and in fact could preach a tolerable fair ser- 
mon for the times. In the delivery of his sermons he 
usually held his left hand to his ear and slashed around 
with his right in a frightful manner, taxing his lungs to 
their fullest capacity, and going it throughout on the 
principal that Branch kept tavern. I remember to have 
heard him preach one night in a large, open house, illu- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 23l 

minated by a solitary tallow candle. Among the 
audience was a huge Kentucky lawyer by the name of 
Phillip S. White, of whom I have before spoken as being 
engaged in a duel with Gus Young, also as a great tem- 
perance-lecturer at a later da3^ He was at that time, 
however, a great rowd}^ and I think the most natural 
comedian I ever saw. White devoutly took his seat 
close in front of the pulpit, and no sooner did Coffey 
CDmmence vaporing than White set to dodging, as though 
evevy pass of the hand was a blow aimed at his head. 
He was loud and frequent with the "Amen," but invari- 
ably put it in the wrong place. He also took a promi- 
nent part in singing, but was wofully out of tune; during 
all of which he maintained the utmost gravit}^ while 
most all others were read}^ to burst their sides with 
laughter. 

Coffey changed his religion frequently, and was alter- 
nately taken in and turned out by the Baptists and 
Methodists. Finally all the churches conspired against 
him, except the Catholics, whom he joined, but they 
would not allow him to preach. He soon quit them, and, 
I am sorry to say, the Methodists not only reinstated him, 
but licensed him to preach, but confined his ministra- 
tions to a portion of Arkansas where it was thought good 
character in a minister was not required. 

S. T. TONCRAY. 

Toncray was a ver}^ inconsistent man, ignorant in 
everything except mechanism, and it was a pity he had 
not confined himself exclusively to it. He was slow and 
remarkably patient. I have known him to devote weeks 
to the construction of a miniature ship in the inside of 
a large show bottle, complete in all its parts, and when 
finished was a most wonderful piece of work. But he 



232 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

was not so patient in some other things. He was petu- 
lant with those he considered beneath him, and addicted 
to too frequent use of the cowhide in his own family. He 
performed the service of baptism as though it were an 
ordinary business transaction. His voice was naturallv 
weak, and he overtaxed it to such an extent that hg 
sometimes broke down in the middle of his sermon, and 
but for the Old Harry that was in him, would have made 
frequent failures. His congregations were mostly black 
The presence of whites seemed to annoy him, owing, pei^ 
haps, to the fact that his efforts at eloquence overstepped 
the sublime, and provoked laughter. He furnished the 
ground and built, on the corner of Main and Overtoi 
streets, wholly at his own expense, what is now known 
as the African Church, but during his lifetime as Ton- 
cray's Church. When finished according to his plans 
and supervision, with its well proportioned steeple and 
other parts, it proved the best specimen of architecture 
on the bluff. 

I am sorrj^ to devote so much space to these men, but 
really, they cut a considerable figure in their time, and 
the history not only of the Church, but of Memphis, 
would be very defective if their names were omitted. 
Both served for several terms as Aldermen, while Coffey, 
for a short time, discharged the duties of Mayor, but 
whether any old dumb clock "struck one" at their de- 
mise, or whether their spirits have ever been interviewed, 
I am not prepared to say. 

A RARE OLD MAN. 

In 1826 Rev. Lorenzo Dow, one of the most noted 
and remarkable men of the time, not only in this countr}^, 
but in Europe, preached here in the fulfillment of an 
appointment made two years before, which, strange to 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 233 

say, was generally rememembered and drew the largest 
congregations. He preached several times on this bluff, 
was very eccentric in his manners, and by some consid- 
ered deranged. He was below the medium height, 
awkwardly built, with a swaggering walk and jesture 
which, added to his natural drollery and peculiar mode 
of expressing himself, produced laughter when least 
intended. 

He was a thorough physiognomist; could read every 
man's character in his face; would point them out and 
reprove them for their vicious habits as though he had 
known them all their lives, and rather seemed to court 
the ill, than the good will of the people generally. 
There was nothing peculiar in his dress, except that he 
wore his beard full, which was then considered shock- 
ingly indecent; and twice he had been arrested, by the 
authorities of towns through which he had passed, and 
forcibly shaved. The only beard wore at that time was 
a narrow strip of whiskers extending from the temple, 
following the line of the jaw, and terminating near the 
point of the chin, and sometimes brought with a curve 
to the corners of the mouth. A dandy would devote 
more time brushing his whiskers over his finger, so as to 
give them a fancy curl, than is generally devoted to such 
purposes now. 

LUCK OF THE CHURCHES. 

Memphis fared badly for a church. The proprietors 
had never given a lot, or other material aid, toward 
building one. I know it is said that they gave the lots 
on which the first Presbyterian church is built; but I 
happen to know that that is not so. Thos€ lots were and 
had been, to some extent, used as a graveyard even be- 
fore the city was laid off. The proprietors tried for 



234: HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

several years, without avail, (for they were none too 
popular), to stop it. They then applied to the Mayor 
and Aldermen, offering to give the town the two lots if 
they would stop their further use as a burying-ground. 
One of the Aldermen inquired, 

" If they are worthless to you, what value would they 
be to the town?" 

To which they replied : 

" They will answer for church purposes," which was 
the only time the word was used, and on this flimsy pre- 
text the church based her adverse right. 

In the deed no such word as "church" appeared, but 
the consideration was set forth as above stated. The 
Board refused the profer; but while it was an open ques- 
tion, and the proprietors were actively log-rolling to have 
it accepted, 

A MEMORABLE DISASTER OCCURRED. 

The explosion of the steamer Helen McGregor — an 
account of which, with other similar disasters that have 
occurred here, I may furnish some day for publication — 
by which such a vast number was killed that the citizens 
who had opposed the removal of the burying-ground 
now became its advocates; so the Winchester Cemetery 
was partly purchased and partly donated, and the first 
interments were the victims of that dreadful calamity. 

Previous to 1826, the house which stands opposite the 
northwest corner of Market Square,' and which I spoke 
of in a former communication as being the place in which 
the first court was held, and also as having been known 
as the Meeting House, answered very well; but when it 
was turned into a printing office the congregations were 
turned out, and for some three years the people were 
dependent for rooms in private families to hold meetings 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 235 

in. It is true that the temporary court-house on Court 
Square, afterward used by Mr. Mageveney and others as 
a school-house, did ver}^ well for Sunday preaching; but 
our people were then quite romantic, and preferred 
spending their Sunday's in the country and performing 
their devotions at night, and after doing a hard day's 
work the}^ did not feel like walking a half mile below 
town, to this Square, for such purposes. 

A ROW BETWEEN THE CHURCHES. 

In 1828, Mr. Charles C. Locke, uncle of Charlej^ and 
Joe Locke, commenced the erection of a very handsome 
two-story house on Front street, then known as Chicka- 
saw, betAveen Concord and Overton streets, fronting some 
forty-five feet, designed for a hall, with rooms on each 
side, and some eighteen or twenty feet deep. He had 
succeeded in getting it enclosed, floors laid, etc., when he 
was overtaken by a financial misfortune, and was unable 
to complete it. He applied to old Ike Eawlings for a 
loan, oftering to pledge the house and lot as securit}^ for 
its payment. Ike was the only money-lender we had — 
who, by-the-way, was very liberal, provided you got on 
the right side of him, and to do that you had to conform 
to his whims, which, unfortunatelj^, Locke had not done. 
His plan of a house was a story and a half high, which 
he contended would answer every purpose of a two-story, 
and cost far less. Locke had, also, put a cornice to his 
house, involving another useless waste of money in Ike's 
mind. He had further given it a coat of white paint; 
Ike's favorite color was Spanish brown, both, perhaps., 
from economy and his long association with the Indians. 
But the most outrageous expense was a pair of orna- 
mental spout-heads, with gold eagles, dates and other 
ridiculous flummerv on them. 



236 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

"No, sir," said Ike sternly; "you have spent more 
money on that house than was necessary to have com- 
pleted a better one," smacking his lips at the same time, 
and looking remarkably wise and self-important. Locke, 
in disgust, turned from him, and for some three years 
that house remained in that unfinished condition. There 
are those ever ready to profit by the misfoi:tunes of 
others, and the church had its share of them, who, in- 
stead of proffering aid for the completion of the house, 
applied for its gratuitous use as a church, which was 
readily granted, and soon one of those instances of lib- 
erality which not unfrequentl}^ occur between the differ- 
ent denominations took place. Locke was a Methodist, 
on which account the members of that church claimed a 
preference to the use of the house whenever a collision 
occurred, and urged Locke so to rule, but he refused to 
interfere, and the church and its possessions became 
questions never settled by factious partisans. 

There is other history in connection with this house 
which, though not pertaining to this subject, may not be 
improper to relate. The Thespian Society was organ- 
ized in 1829, and being unable to find another room so 
well adapted in the town, compromised with the religious 
societies, to whom Locke referred them, and took the 
upper floor, forming a sort of rotary concern. Whether 
they played into each other's hands, or vice versa, I shall 
not undertake to say, though it seemed that they got 
along more amicably than the religionists did among 
themselves, and I must here slightly correct my friend 
Tom Young, who, in naming the members of the Thes- 
pian Society, omitted, unintentionally, no doubt, the 
name of my brother George, who was somewhat hurt 
about it, as he was one of its most active members, and 
generally took a leading character. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 237 

It is also due to the history of Memphis, in this con- 
nection, to mention a man of extensive notoriety, Sol 
Smith, who was possessed of more brilliant and varying 
talents, perhaps, than any other man of Lis day, but woe- 
fully deficient as a financier. No matter how much 
money old Sol made, and he made much, he was always 
hard run — being greatly under the weather. In 1830 he 
came to Memphis, reorganized the Thespians, and as 
new names, like new brooms, work well, he adopted the 
name of the "Garrick Club," and for a time appeared to 
succeed well; but he was a rolling stone, and seldom 
stayed long in one place, or stuck to the same pursuit. 

The Presbyterians being unpleasantly situated, deter- 
mined to look them out another place of meeting, and 
were fortunate enough to find one even better than the 
Locke building, which had several disadvantages. It 
was situated on the same street, and nearly opposite — in 
fact there was no other street in town, if we except the 
roads that led out — was a large two-story frame building, 
the property of Mr. John F. Schabell, father of Mr. Jas. 
F. Schabell, and occupied by the late Mrs. Agnes Haw- 
thorn, who died a few years since at the advanced age of 
ninetj^-four, and shortly after occupied by Mrs. Under- 
wood, the mother of Q. K. Underwood, of Arkansas. I 
feel that a tribute to these good women is due from me, 
and while on this subject I must mention another old 
lady who lived within a few doors — the late Mrs. Rachael 
Tarleton, who also died a short time since. I knew her 
when in the enjoyment of peace and plenty, but, like too 
many others, neglected her in her infirm and trying ad- 
versity, for at her death she must have been very old, 
and, I am told, perfectly helpless. For manj^ j^ears she 
had been wholly dependent on an old negress, who was 
formerly her slave, but who since has attended her old 



238 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

mistress with a kindness, affection and unfaltering devo- 
tion that would have done credit to a daughter. 

A few days ago I met in the street an old and esteemed 
lady — Mrs. Kesterson, formerly Miss Ann Hardaway. 
She did not observe me, and as she appeared to be in a 
hurry I did not stop her, but her bowed form and un- 
steady step (like my own) clearly proved that the hand 
of Time rested heavily upon her. Her's has been a 
chequered life ; blessed at one time with abundance of 
worldly goods, and again reduced to abject povert}^ the 
lastof ajarge family — five brothers and two sisters — five 
of whom lie buried in the Winchester Cemeter}^ During 
all her trials she has, with a true Christian spirit, devoted 
hsr entire energies to the good of others. 

THE PRESBYTERIAN. 

The upper floor of the Schabell House the Presbyte- 
rians secured, and when the partitions were removed it 
presented a room of some twent}' -five by thirty-six feet 
square. This they fitted up, in what was then considered 
great style, and, no doubt, with a design of plaguing 
somebody. Having secured a lease on the premises, they 
felt warranted in advertising themselves as being " per- 
manently located." The walls were thoroughly white- 
washed, a neat, plain pulpit was erected, and regularly 
constructed seats placed in proper order. A substantial 
stairway led up from the outside, while the interior pre- 
sented a handsome and more church-like appearance 
than anything ever before erected on this bluff. Their 
neighbor's tenure of occupation could hardly be^said to 
extend from one Sabbath to another, and whose fixtures 
were of the most simple and temporary character, though 
not without some cost, and who, if required to move, 
could not have found another suitable room without 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 239 

building it; nor, after their arbitrary conduct, could tliey 
ask for a joint occupation. The consequence was, they 
were completely taken down, and obliged to endure the 
mortifying spectacle of seeing the floating part of the 
church-goers attending the Presbyterian meetings. In 
justice to the Methodists I must say that less than one- 
fifth of the members engaged in the illiberal deportment 
alluded to, and it would ill become me, who had a father, 
mother, grandmother and elder sister members cf that 
church — while my affinities were decidedly in the same 
direction — to sa}^ aught against them. But the prett}^ 
girls were of the other congregation, which, of course, 
attracted the young men, and I am strongly inclined to 
believethere was a mutual attraction. 

MORAL EFFECT OF WOMAN's PRESENCE 

Another reason for my avoiding the Methodist meet- 
ings was that m}^ old grandmother had a ver}^ annoying 
way of watching me, and if I chanced to glance or cast 
a smile or nod to some beauty across the aisle, or was 
guilt}^ of other peccadillos, she was sure to take me to 
account for it. On the score of respectability I do not 
think the Methodists had an3^thing to lose by a compar- 
ison with their more aristocratic neighbors. In ev- 
idence of which I propose to give the names of such as 
I can now remember of either denomination. Metho- 
dists: Solomon Eoselle, Jesse A. Strange, father of J. 
P. Strange, John Brown, Hezekiah Cobb, recently died, 
John and Edward Manning, Robert Fearne, Henry 
James, John A. Frayser, James Robb, Zachariah Hite, 
farther of R. C. Hite, Wile}^ Kimbrough, Willis and 
William Wilder, and a number of others, whose names 
I cannot now remember. 

Of the Presbyterians, I might mention Littleton Hen- 
derson, Samuel Merij, Enoch Banks, William Cowan, 



240 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

Justyn Smith, William and James Lawrence, John 
Trigg, Tilman Bettis, Cizario By as, Samuel Brown and 
others. There were some of the best citizens whose 
church connections I cannot now determine, and pos- 
sibly have made some mistakes in those I have named» 
There were others whose denominations had no organ- 
ization here. Others again, who seemed to filiate in- 
discriminately, and quite a large number of our most 
influential citizens, who made no i^rofession of religion, 
at least did not unite with any church, but whose wives 
and families were strict church-members, whose names 
ought to be preserved. 

THE CUMBERLANDS. 

In 1829, I think the Eev. William Whitsett, of the 
Cumberland Church, came here and established a church 
of that denomination. Owing to the smallness of the 
membership he was rather unsuccessful for a time. His 
widow, at the extreme age of eighty-eight, still survives, 
with a strength of body, mind, hearing and voice that is 
truly remarkable. Of the large family they raised, 
but one daughter is now living — Mrs. Eliza Whitsett, 
wife and cousin of Wiley W. Whitsett, of whom few men 
of his day were more generally known and respected. 
Of their large family of children not one now survives. 

PROFOUND PHILOSOPHY. 

I have heretofore confined myself to matters which oc- 
curred up to 1830, except where neeessary to trace individ- 
uals or incidents to later dates. It was my first intention 
not to venture any further, for the reason that a new 
epoch may be said to have occurred in the Church of 
Memphis worthy of commendation, being the advent of 
several of the ablest divines that ever filled her pulpits. 
I feel that my mode of dealing with persons generally 



THE OLD TIMES TAPERS. 241 

will be wholly out of place in reference to them, partic- 
ularl}^ as two of them are still living, and that, too, in 
this cit3^ It is easy enough " for us historians " to show 
off our subjects that have passed awa}^ forty or fifty 
years since, in such a light as best suits us, and 
draw, to some little extent, on fanc}', but while the 
originals are still here we have to be more particular 
about facts. 

UNPALATABLE TALK. 

I am an outsider in church matters, narrating inci- 
dents according to my best recollections, and have, ia 
some instances perhaps, indulg'ed in too much pleasantry. 
But so far, I have found nobody of good sense that has. 
taken exceptions; though, perhaps, some have. I did not 
start out to flatter or wantonly offend. But the fact of a 
man's being a preacher or a professor of religion is no 
reason, in my mind, that his deportment should not be 
criticised, and I shall take the liberty of doing it, let the 
consequences be what they may. But I will venture to- 
say that those who know me best will not charge me with 
being an enemy to the church or to preachers generally.. 

There are some ministers, I am sorry to say, who. 
sometimes fail to " do unto others as they would have 
others do unto them." I could tell of an ex-minister 
who refused shelter to a lady, with a young babe, during. 
a storm, in this county, although the possessor of a full- 
competency of this world's goods. He was, however,, 
kind enough to give her the gratuitous information that 
there was a public house only a few miles distant, at 
which she would be admitted, — and she was admitted 
and kindly cared for without charge. It is due his Rev- 
erence to say that he was unaware that the lady was the 
daughter of a Methodist minister. I am pleased to say 



242 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

that no fatal consequencesresulted, as the lady and child, 
now married, are still liying. 

REV. SAMUEL WILLIAMSON, 

of the Presbyterian Church, came here, I think, in 1829. 
The first time I heard him was at the opening of what 
might be called the Schabell or Hawthorn Chapel. It 
was a proud occasion. He was quite 3'oung and appeared 
anxious to make a fine display; and did so, as far as 
learning was concerned. At least it was a vast improve- 
ment on what we had been accustomed to here. But his 
delivery was indifl'erent. In order to make his words 
more effective, he would drawl them out to an unpleas- 
ant length, and at times displayed a painful contortion 
of the mouth. He remained here several years, was con- 
sidered very devout, and was very popular with his con- 
gregation. 

The two ministers I alluded to as still being here, are 

^ F. A. OWEN AND P. T. SCRUGGS. 

The}' were both from North Alabama, where the}^ had 
made the acquaintance of my father, and the}^ preached 
their first sermons here in his house. I think Mr. Owen 
came here first, but in this I may be mistaken. 

As to their capacity I have nothing to say, except that 
if every one else has as high an opinion of them as I 
have, they must be veiy popular. But I am sorry to say 
they proved failures. They came before their time — not 
like Shakspeare's man, " scarce half made up;" but, on 
the contrary, they were too well made up for the intelli- 
gence of the community at that time. The change from 
noise and bluster to sense and reason was what we were 
not prepared for — at least, so suddenly. It was like of- 
fering cold water to an old toper: It did him no good. 
These gentlemen, however, got along very well with the 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 243 

intelligent; yet, I think, if they could only have split the 
difference it would have been much better, for we cer- 
tainly needed a higher order of talent than we formerly 
had. There is, I think, even yet, notwithstanding the 
great improvement in church deportment, a set of igno- 
rant blatherskites (who set themselves up as competent 
critics and judges) in some of the churches that must be 
a great nuisance to their societies, and particularly to 
intelligent ministers. 

FATHER MOODY. 

I must tell something about Rev. Samuel Mood}^ if it 
is of a private nature. He arrived here on the fifteenth 
of December, 1834. I remember the da}^ well, for in 
about three hours after his arrival he performed a very 
interesting little ceremony, which constituted the most 
important event of my life. The other party to that 
transaction is still here, and looks like she might live to 
celebrate her golden wedding; and if I should be equally 
fortunate, we will have a big blow-out. I want you, 
Messrs. Editors, to consider yourselves especially invited.f / 
and be sure to come, for, aside from friendship, I have 
another use for you. You may not be able to say any- 
thing clever about me, but I want you to give the old 
woman a puff. She has borne me seven children, and 
raised them all, and I think I may justly feel proud of 
them. The youngest one exercises his citzenship at the 
polls; and if there are those who think the stock is 
likelj^ to run out, I can inform them that three of my 
daughters have presented their husbands with fine, fat 
babies within the last few months, making just fourteen 
in all of the third generation. If I have not a right to 
be jolly, and have some claim upon my country, I would 
like to know who has. As we are the oldest resident 



244 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

wedded couple in the cit}', I don't think this notice en- 
tirely out of place. I believe it is customary for novelists 
to wind up their stories with a wedding, but I do not 
know that it is so with historians, and I am particularly 
anxious to conform with the latter, lest they refuse to 
recognize me, and play smash with my aspirations. 



CHARLES D. McLEAN. 



The venerable person whose name heads this article is 
one of the very oldest and most prominent citizens of 
West Tennessee. He was at one time a leading politician, 
having beaten Hon. C. H. Williams for a seat in the Legis- 
lature. At the close of his term, which was, I think, in 
1830, he removed to the neighborhood of Memphis, where 
he still lives, and although his large and well-stocked farm 
required his close attention, he found time to attend to all 
matters of a public character, involving the interest of this 
city or county, and most generall}" presided at such meet- 
ings. Men like C. D. McLean, Geo. L. Holmes and John 
Pope have done more to advance the farming interest and 
develope the resources of the country than can well be com- 
puted. The two latter have passed away, while old Char- 
le}^, the senior of the three, though bowed down with the 
weight of near four-score winters, still walks our streets 
with remarkable activity. He was elected President of 
the Old Folks Association at its first organization, some 
twent}^ 3^ears ago, and has been retained in that position 
until its last meeting, in August, 1873, when he was re- 
luctantl}^ allowed to decline a re-election. Whether his 
active mind will allow him to pass the remainder of his 
days in quietude is yet to be seen. Long may he live! 



rHE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 245 



THE FIEST FIRE C031PAISY. 



The 3^ear of our Lord, 1830, being the first decade 
after old Wappanocha Fiirgason, under the direction of 
William Lawrence, drove his stakes, and the fourth of 
our corporate existence, the census-taker found on this 
bluff between seven hundred and one thousand inhabi- 
tants. Whether this did, or not, include the blacks, I 
nm not prepared to sa}-, and had he extended his inqui- 
ries to the number of houses, would, docibtless, have 
found one hundred or more, many of which were of a 
better class than was generalh?- found in towns of its 
size. Although our losses by fire were comparatively 
small, yet they did sometimes occur, and a moi-e effectual 
way of quenching them than with buckets of water be- 
came evidently necessarj-. This subject had attracteci 
some attention even before the town was incorporated, 
and still more afterward, but how to get an engine 
was the question. The non-property holders contended 
that it was the duty of the property-holders to furnish 
tha.t article. The latter, being mostly the proprietors, 
who owned no houses or other property liable to burn, 
were willing to submit to a tax for that purpose, which, 
however, did not satisfy the " uons." Such was the case 
up to the year above mentioned, when old George Al- 
dred, one of our Aldermen, being in Cincinnati, and see- 
ing a small second-hand engine offered for sale ver}' 
low, and thinking it would about suit us, made the pur- 
chase. I will here state that I do not find Aldred's 
name among the members of the Board of that year, and 
can only account for the omission on the supposition 



246 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

that he was not elected at the regular March elections, 
but filled a vacancy. The continued feuds between the 
rich and poor, and the fact that a property qualification 
was required, reduced the number of eligible persons 
for Alderman to but few, and it was sometimes with 
difficulty that a Board could be secured. I am, however,- 
very sure that Aldred was an Alderman that year. I am 
thus particular from the fact that he will cut a consid- 
erable figure in this stoiy, and from the further fact that 
there are quite a number of critics who are ever ready 
to assail my historic veracity. The Vigor, as this en- 
gine was named, or the " Little Vigor," as she was com- 
monly called, on account of her diminutiveness, not 
being over three feet high, worked by two long cranks 
extending from her sides, and capable of furnishing 
room for eight men, by which power she could throw 
water over the tallest house on the bluff, and, although 
somewhat defaced, seemed very substantial, and made 
quite a handsome appearance, while the general opinion 
seemed to be that she was just the thing we needed. 
But one of the peculiarities of the people of Memphis is, 
and perhaps always will be, never to allow themselves to 
be pleased with anything, though this engine at first 
promised to be an exception, and perhaps would have 
proved so but for an unfortunate, and I might add dis- 
graceful, occurrence. When the machine was first 
landed, everybody, old and j^oung, black and white, 
flocked to see it. Never were children more anxious to 
engage in a sport than were the men of this town to get 
hold of those cranks and make the thing squirt. Her 
parade up the hill was a grand affair, and old George 
Aldred seemed suddenly to have become the most pop- 
ular man on the bluff. The landing was then at the 
foot of Auction street, coming up which street they 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 247 

stopped at a mud hole in the rear of Auction square, 
and rousing the hogs out, they proceeded to fill the box 
with the muddy water, when the word " play away " was 
given, and such a scampering! The pipesman mounted 
the box, swun^ his pipe around so as to throw the dirty 
water on the crowd in all directions, and a number of fine 
bonnets and other rigging were ruined. This was consid- 
ered a smart trick and a good joke, though the sufferers 
took quite a different view of it. Filling up again, they 
let loose on the neighboring houses, breaking in the win- 
dows and drenching everything with mud and filth, to 
the great grief and arno3'ance of the occupants. Having 
exhaused the mud-hole, enjoyed a big laugh and taken a 
hearty swig, or, rather, having repeated some half dozen 
previously taken, they started out to where the road 
crossed the bayou, putting old George in front. As they 
ran down the hill at full speed, the old fellow, being unable 
to keep out of their way, fell, and I suppose a dozen men 
ran over him, and, but for the exertions of a few, the en- 
gine would have passed over and killed him. As it was, 
he received injuries from which he never recovered. A 
general row came near taking place. The Alderman was 
picked up and carried home, and the engine was also 
drawn back and put in a vacant storehouse of his ad- 
joining his dwelling. The next question to be settled 
was, whether Alderman Aldred and his engine, or those 
who had taken forcible possession of her, was most to 
blame. As such differences are generall}' compromised, 
they were held as about equal in the public estimation, 
and the old man's popularity went down faster than it 
had gone up. The reason was, that suits for damages 
were seriously thought of, and Aldred was the only one 
out of which such debts could likely be made. He be- 
longed to that, then, obnoxious class known as the rich, 



248 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

and that, too, without possessing some of their redeem- 
ing qualities. For instance, he was a great drunkard — 
alwa3^s kept a barrel on tap, and yet rarely invited others 
to " smile." When drunk he was a terrible old brute, 
particularly in his family; still he was not without friends 
and strange to sa}', among the better class of citizens. 
He was a man of pretty fair education and general in- 
formation. In fact, he was spoken of by some as the 
brains of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, and apart 
from his intemperate habits, was respected by his fellow 
members, especially Mayor Rawlings. 

A CURIOUS STORY. 

I am here tempted to tell a religious story, notwith- 
standing the unfavorable reception former ones of that 
character have met with. I fancy I can hear you. whis- 
per, " let that religious part pass," while something else 
hints that it is as well to be hung for an old sheep as a 
lamb, and as I never was noted for prudence, I have de- 
termined to bulge ahead and risk the consequences. The 
extension of Main beyond Auction street being the point 
where the original Pinch took its start, has, for some 
reason or other, been considered a rich field for mission- 
ary labors. It will be remembered that old Nat. Howcott, 
■some twent}' years later, established what he called the 
*' Red Church," but what others called the " New Hiding 
Place," after one of Nat's favorite rallying songs, with 
which they made the welkin ring until near morning. 
Fortunately for them, perhaps, old George Aldred was 
dead, or he might have brought the little Vigor in play 
and washed them out as a nuisance. As it was, Nat. 
was allowed to continue in all his glory, and, b}^ the way, 
I see from a recent publication that his spirit is making 
itself quite familiar in table-tipping circles. It was at 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 249 

this point that a man by the name of Erwin, if I mis- 
take not, lived at the time our story commences. He 
was a stout, able-bodied man, a sort of rough carpenter 
or gin-builder by trade, seemed physically adapted t(3 the 
business, but I think was constitutionally opposed to hard 
work. About this time, it will be remembered. Rev. Al- 
exander Campbell made the discover}- that the Scriptures 
had never been rightly understood, and his theory 
seemed to meet with considerable favor. B}^ a strange 
coincidence our man Erwin made a similar discovery, 
but whether there was any similitude 4n the two discov- 
eries I am unable to say; so it was, that our poor fellow's 
mind was completely carried away with the idea of 
immortalizing himself as the founder of a great sect 
that was destined to swallow up all others. Unfortu- 
nately, however, for him, his education had been wofuUy 
neglected, and even nature seemed to have been very 
sparing in her gifts of language, and deliver}^ especially. 
These, however, he hoped to overcome by close applica- 
tion, but that the cause might not suffer bv the neces- 
sary dela}', he wisely determined to employ an assistant, 
and was fortunate in securing the aid of the Rev. Elijah 
Coffe3\ The latter, however, did not yield a full adhe- 
sion to Erwinism, but stated that there were man}' 
strong points favoring it; that he had not had time, 
from his last and lapstone to give it that investigation 
that its vast importance required, but should certainly do 
so in due time, which meant as soon as he found out 
whether it was likely to take, after which he would 
either apply his awl or his end. Erwin's house consisted 
of two rooms, which, when the partition was removed, 
made one of about eighteen by twenty-four feet, with 
two front and two rear doors, and about as man}' 
windows, being about the most roomv house in the town. 






250 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

And he had been to some expense in fitting it up, having 
removed his famil}^ to a shanty not far distant. The 
novelty seemed to take; the meetings were frequent, 
some three per week; the congregations were large, 
though not very orderly; the disorderly part, however, 
generally remained on the outside, where they could 
enjoy a laugh at Coffey's vaporings, or Er win's inordi- 
nate ignorance. The}^ also could retire to the Bell tavern 
and partake of an eye-opener at short intervals, without 
disturbing the pious exercises, in doing which they were 
obliged to pass old Aldred's door; and on one occa- 
sion, being instigated by the devil, bad whisky, or pos- 
sibly b}^ bad preaching, or, more likely, by all together, 
and observing a number of loose brickbats lying around, 
gathered them up and commenced pelting the Alder- 
man's domicile. The old fellow seized his double-bar- 
relled gun and sallied forth, when the assailants sought 
safety in flight, for it was generally understood that he 
would shoot, but that he would go into a place of divine 
worship to do so was never for a moment imagined. 
And when they found themselves within the sacred 
walls of Erwin chapel, they felt perfectly safe; but in 
this they were mistaken. Aldred, though suffering from 
injuries received by being run over, as before stated, 
and which, by the lack of skill, or, perhaps, his own in- 
difference, had rendered him not only very unsightly, 
but ver}^ unwield}^ waddled along, his gun giving 
him a free pass, until he found himself among the 
new reformers, cursing, threatening and flourishing his 
gun. The doors and windows were immediately called 
into requisition, and amid the screaming of women and 
children, the house was cleared in a few seconds. The 
general impression seemed to be that shooting was to be 
done, and where the greatest crowd there the greatest 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 251 

danger, the consequence was that each appeared desi- 
rous of being by himself and getting away as fast as- 
possible. Erwin sought shelter in the bosom of his 
family, while Coffey was the only man that showed any 
disposition to stand to his ground. Armed with gospel 
grace he felt prepared to face old AMred, if backed by 
Apolyon and all his tribe. He even commenced reproof, 
but when the double-barrels were brought to bear upon 
him, he considered discretion the better part of valor, 
and fled pecipitately; after which Memphis never spent 
a more quiet night. But the thing was not done with.- 
The outrage on the part of Aldred was too heinous to be 
overlooked. So next morning old Mason Smith, town 
constable, district constable and deputy sheriff, waited 
on old George with a State's warrant, and took him im- 
mediately before Squire Rawlings. The news had spread 
all over town, and of course had lost nothinsj in its trav- 
els. The occurrence was looked upon by all as most 
horrible, but the mode of punishment, made and provi- 
ded in such cases, was not so well understood. Whether' 
it was hanging, penitentiary or simply high fine and im- 
prisonment, was the question that required a legal mind 
to answer, some of whom, though very reticent, looked 
knowing; others intimated that if certain authorities,with 
which they were acquainted, were brought forward, the 
crime would be greatly extenuated, if not justified, 
while others boldly declared that nothing but culpable 
mismanngement on the part of the prosecution could 
fail to send him up for at least ten years. Despite of 
all this, Aldred maintained his surly indifterence, and 
it was through him that the fattest picking was ex- 
pected, while the others relied on the strength of their 
cause, and the trial progressed without the aid of law- 
yers, on either side. The parsons put their case in 



252 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

very feeling words, but with a look that bespoke the 
agony of their souls at the thought of the impious out- 
rage. When through, his honor demanded of Aldred 
what he had to say? Who replied: 

"That the place is a nuisance, which it is the right 
and duty of anyone to abate." 

" How so?" asked Ike, in a less peremptoiy tone than 
was his custom. 

" Because," said George, " the persons who attacked 
my house came thence, and, after committing the deed, 
hastened back to where the preaching was going on, as 
can be proven; and I think if that is the result of such 
labors, the quicker they are stopped the better." 

Ike grunted, rubbed his nose, smacked hislips and 
replied : 

^'I think so too." 

The aspect of affairs immediately underwent a sud- 
den change; taking advantage of which the old squire 
arose and delivered, I have no doubt, the best impromptu 
lecture of his life, in which, as usual, he was ver^^ severe 
on all parties, particularly the newly-enlightened Erwin, 
"You are a pretty fellow to set yourself up as a teacher, 
and the result is only what might have been expected." 
To Aldred he was also very severe. "You," he said are 
capable of making a good citizen, and yet are proving 
yourself anything else." He finally dismissed the case 
with a warning to all parties never to appear before him 
again under similar circumstances. The court was im- 
mediately adjourned. Aldred, who tried to get a word 
with his honor, but was repulsed, was the last toge^out, 
though when he did, was received with a cheer. The 
southern people, and perhaps all others, admire a bold, 
fearless man, and our hero had put a host to flight, 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 253 

faced the frowning Hector, plead his own cause, and had 
not only come out scathless, but turned the tide against 
his accusers. It is needless to say that Aldred stock 
went up. Being thus greeted he delivered himself of a 
speech in which he said water was a great thing, not 
only for naAigation, agriculture, manufacturing and cu- 
linar}^ purposes, but more particular!}'- for cleanliness; 
that he was a hydropathist by profession, and had the 
necessary a]:)paratus to administer it, and if that dirty 
congregation attempted to assemble again in his hearing 
he would certainly wash them out. The idea was a 
new one, and the rabble, feeling licensed, promised them- 
selves much sport, which I am sorry to say was after- 
ward practiced to an improper extent, not on the Erwin- 
ites, however, as Cotifey, immediately after this affray^ 
made the discover}^ that there was nothing in it, while 
its founder, disconsolably wandered around for a short 
time, then disappeared. A few creditors were desirous 
of learning his whereabouts, but like other meteors, he 
passed so rapidl}^ awa}' as not to leave even a momentary 
glare to indicate his course. 

Shortly after this Cobb's sawmill took fire. A number 
of persons ran in haste for the Vigor, expecting to en- 
counter the double-barrel shotgun, but were agreeably 
surprised to find the door of the warehouse open and the 
engine in readiness, with which the fire was soon extin- 
guished, although for a time the fate of the mill and 
surrounding buildings and lumber w^as doubtful. After 
this the Vigor was purchased, old Schabell advancing 
the money himself, and might be called her first captain. 
Here I might tell a number of amusing incidents in 
which the little Vigor flourished, but my story is already 
too long. Whenever a house became disorderly, it had to 
be washed out, which, of course, devolved on her. In 1832 



254 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

a free negro by the name of Alfred Richardson, a black- 
smith by trade, and possessed of some property, (after- 
ward caught stealing cotton and sent to the penitentiary,) 
started the first public hack. On her first trip she was 
chartered by some lewd women and their gallants. 
Chickasaw street and Front row, as they were then 
called, might be said to be the only streets in town, and 
the hack went dashing back and forward through them 
at short intervals. These women had been tolerated on 
their promise of behaving themselves. Up to the time 
of their location in Chelsea, which was then a perfect 
wilderness, Memphis had borne the name of the most 
virtuous town on the river. These women had com- 
menced acting badly, and would parade the streets in a 
body, dressed in fantastic style, and now they were evi- 
dently drunk, yelling at the top of their voices. The 
case was considered one that required the attention of 
the Vigor, and she was hastily brought into requisition. 
An old negro washerwoman, who lived near the corner 
of front and Jackson streets, had on hand at the time a 
large supply of soap-suds, some of which had stood and 
stunk insuff'erably; but the Vigor was filled with it. 
They next procured several pounds of lampblack, 
which was added, the soapsuds being sutficiently 
strong to dissolve it. Hardly had ever3'thiug been got 
in readiness when here came the hack with renewed 
glee. 

Two negroes came from the opposite side of the street, 
and caught the horses, when the Vigor opened. She first 
paid her respects to the outside passengers, whom she 
soon disposed of. I think I see Alf. Kichardson now, 
heels upward in the air. As to the women, I shall at- 
tempt no description. The stream that would knock one 
out of the carriao^e would catch her from beneath before 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 255 

she struck the ground. In truth, it was cruel, aud several 
were badly hurt. The women were, of course, ver}- abu- 
sive. After which they were quietl}^ informed that the 
sooner they left the better, as the Vigor could easil}^ be 
taken across the bayou. Richardson was furious, but 
cooled down when informed that there was a point not far 
distant at which the law ended. 

The Vigor was overtaxed. Pitmans were attached to 
her cranks, so as to enable double the number of men 
originally intended to work upon her, b}^ which she was 
broken dowm There are but two, old Tom Young and 
myself, now living who belonged to her original organi- 
zation, and perhaps the only two that ever turned her 
cranks. Old George Aldred died in 1835, and although 
possessed of some good traits, I think the world was 
better off without him. It was in 1838 that the Deluge 
was bought, supposed b}^ many to have been our first en- 
gine. I shall not attempt to give any of her history, 
though much might be given. There were also some 
amusing incidents connected with her purchase, one of 
which I will venture to give, although it ma}^ place one of 
our city fathers in rather an undignified attitude. At 
that time nothing could be obtained on the corporate 
credit unless indorsed by the members of the Board, or 
other responsible citizens. Todd}^ Dixon, as he was fa- 
miliarly called, who was Mayor at that time, being absent 
in Baltimore, left old Charles B. Murray, of whom every- 
body has, or ought to have heard, as Ma^^or pro tem. 
Charley had involved himself in one of his pet schemes 
to build a markethouse on Market Square, with an upper 
room for a town hall, etc. When the resolution to order 
a new fire-engine, and the members to indorse or become 
individually responsible for its payment, came up, and 
notwithstanding his sub-excellenc>''s opposition, showed 



256 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

strong symptoms of passing, he refused to put the ques 
tion. It may be necessary to exphiin that at that time 
the Aldermen occupied seats on each side of a tables- 
three on a side, with the Mayor at one end and the Re- 
corder at the other. When the Mayor took part in the 
debate, as at present, he would sometimes call on the Re- 
corder to take the vote — which he was requested to do 
in this case, but again refused. When, at the request of 
a member, the Recorder was about to put the vote, old 
Charley threw himself flat on his back on the table,, 
stamping with his feet, beating with his hands and yell- 
ing like a savage, until the Board and audience, which; 
was unusually large, made the yell general and quit the 
house, leaving Charley triumphant, for he, and perhaps 
all others present, thought that a majoritj^hadthe power 
to involve the private funds of the minority against their 
will. But our early legislators were very ignorant of 
their powers, parliamentary rules, or individual rights. 
Perhaps it is wrong to expose them. The Deluge, 
despite old Charley's opposition, was purchased. I will 
simpl}^ add, that I was a member of the Fire Department 
up to the time the steam fire-engines were introduced.. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 257 



ANOTHER HISTORIAN. 



Corinth, Miss., November 22, 1872. 
Editors Appeal — Forty-five years have elapsed since 
those days of which I wrote some time ago, and with 
them the memory of many events; and it is hardly 
possible that any one should remember correctly all the 
names of members of a society. In reading Old Times' 
very interesting article, I find he has not represented all 
the persons he speaks of, at least from my recollection 
of them, in their true characters. Parsons Toncray and 
Coffey, are faithfully represented, according to my 
knowledge of those "ancient brothers;" but in the 
character of Harry Lawrence, Old Times, I think, to use 
a common expression, is certainly " romancing." I pro- 
fess to know as much of Uncle Harry's character as any 
one now living, from the fact of his having been for many 
years a member of our family. 

In early times he married one of my father's servant 
women, with whom he lived happily up to the year 1842 — 
the year I left Memphis. Up to that time. Uncle Harry's 
character for piety was very faulty. I only knew him as 
a notoriously wicked old sinner; and during the time 1 
knew him, I never saw him exhibit the least outward 
piety that would pass as coin, even in Memphis, in those 
early days. In fact, I think that his belief was that a 
negro had no soul, and he fully sustained his belief by 
his practice. 

I would like to hear Old Times' opinion as to the 
character of one Parson Smith, who was a cotemporary 
of Elders Toncray and Coffey. He came from " Down 



258 HISTOKY OF MEMPHIS. 

East;" and, to use the vernacular of Scott}* Briggs, " Run 
a Gospel-mill " in Memphis, in opposition to those well- 
known characters. 

There is an old tradition that abetjvras made, between 
two of our (then) leading men, on the pulpit powers of 
Coffe}^ and Smith. The judges on this occasion I know 
very well, but cannot vouch for their competency to de- 
cide such imporfent matters. The umpire decided in 
favor of Parson Coffe}^ The winner of the wager, which 
was a barrel of apples, presented it to the victor, Parson 
Coffe}^, who, after a short lecture on the wickedness of 
gambling, fell to and devoured the fruit with marvelous 
voracity. Lang Syne. 



ANSWER TO "LANG SYNE. 



Editors Appeal — I find in j^our columns a communi- 
cation from my old friend " Lang Sjaie," of date Novem- 
ber 22, 1872, who, b3^-the-way, could give j^ou more of 
the early history of Memphis, if he would, than any man 
living. I think he is older than I am; but, perhaps, he 
will not acknowledge that. He is certainly an older 
resident, better educated, and had far better opportu- 
nities of observing the passing events of early daj^s 
on this bluff than I had; and yet a beggarly half column, 
four or five times a j'ear, is all that can be gotten out of 
him. Perhaps he is waiting until I am exhausted, and 
then he will flood you with matter rich, rare and peculiar. 
If so, he may commence immediately, for I am done. 
The great pity is that I did not stop some time ago. 
But, strange to say, he has the assurance to ask me to 
tell one of his own stories for him. Now, as an evidence 
that I did not go into bad compauy in my j^oung days, I 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 259 

can say positively, that I was not present when the bar- 
rel of apples was prayed for, though I believe 1 did eat 
some of the apples, and, if I am not mistaken, he was 
the man that gave them to me and told me the whole 
stor}^ afterward, and which I will endeavor to tell you in 
as few words as possible. 

A PRAYER GAUGE IN OLD TIMES. 

Parson Smith, as "Lang Syne" calls him, T^as what 
was then known as a Flat-boat Preacher, one of a class 
who had the faculty of leaving their religion behind 
whenever they took to the water, and reassumed it on 
returning to shore. At that time Memphis, and in fact, 
all the lower country-, was in a measure dependent on 
flatboats for supplies, and at some seasons of the year 
their visits were rather unfrequeut, and suffering was to 
some extent the consequence. Such was the case on one 
occasion when our people were deliglited to see a flat- 
boat rowing into our landing, which was then where the 
upper part of the Navy- Yard is now, and soon quite a 
number were on her deck, among them Parsons Coffey 
and Smith. The latter, in order to introduce himself to 
the boatmen as one of their sort, gave them some choice 
specimens of flatboat oaths, whereupon Cofl'e}' undertook 
to reprove him. 

" Mr. Smith," said he, advancing to that individual, 
" you profess to be a Christian; you are a praying man," 
he adde 1, with a stern look. 

"Yes," shouted Smith, "and I can beat you praying 
any da3\" 

"Tut, tut," said Coffey, as though that were out of the 
question. 

After some sparring, made up of oaths and ofters to 
bet on the part of Smith, and indignant scofts on the 



260 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

part of Coffey, the citizens present divided and took 
sides, some insisting that the reputation of our town 
was at stake, for they refused to recognize Smith as a 
citizen, and that Coffey must, by all means, stand up to 
him. The matter was soon arranged, and a barrel of 
apples staked on the result. Smith led off, and, it was 
said, made a bully effort in the ordinary way, cheered 
on by his side. When it came Coffey's turn, who, to do 
him justice, tried to get out of the scrape, but such men 
as Gus. Young, Major Hickman, Green Davis, Todd 
Collins and others were there, including our friend, who 
could have made him put his head into the fire, if they 
had said so. Finding there was no alternative, he pitched 
in and showed more wit and humor than he ever before 
was thought capable of. He devoted the whole of his prayer 
to Smith, whom he represented as the most unmitigated 
scamp, rascal and sinner generally, on earth, urging at 
the same time that he was not an accountable being, 
that he was so constituted as to be wholly incapable of 
any moral, honorable, or decent deportment, too con- 
temptible to attract the notice of a human, much less 
Divine being. But it appeared that Smith had more 
spirit than he was supposed to have, and when all others 
were bursting with laughter, he sprang suddenh^ forward, 
struck Coffey in the breast, and knocked him heels over 
stomach into the river — not, however, without being 
caught by the arm, jerked along, and so the pair went in 
together. A spontaneous yell greeted this event, which, 
however, was of short duration, as the parties remained 
under water longer than human nature would seem to 
warrant. They did, however, come to the surface, when 
poles were handed them, after which the adjourned 
laughter was resumed and continued for several min- 
utes, during which the poor parsons were shivering with 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 261 

the cold and begging for relief. Coffey was then taken 
out, but Smith was told that in consequence of his das- 
tardly conduct he was to be left where he was. Some of 
the more feeling soon after helped him along the side of 
the boat until he could touch bottom, when he clambered 
up the bank and made off, and soon quit the place. 
Coffey was decided the victor unanimously. A fine lot 
of apples and other presents were given him, and he 
went home rejoiceing. It proved to be the most popular 
thing that Coffey ever did. They were mighty fine 
apples, "Lang Syne," the first we had had for a month; 
but, old fellow, you must tell your own tales hereafter, 
and not be drawing on me; it ain't fair. 

As for old Harry Lawrence, I knew, of course, that he 
was a grand old rascal, but as he had been dead thirty 
years, I did not think it necessary to tell it. 



HEZEKIAH COBB. 



It ma}^ be questionable whether laudations of an in- 
dividual through the press on the occasion of his death 
avail anything to the memory of the deceased. It is 
not always the truly good who receive the most laud- 
itory obituary notices. Hezekiah Cobb, who died not 
very long ago, deserves from the old citizens of Memphis 
something more thsn.a passing notice. I was never 
very intimate with him, but can point out a few of his 
peculiarities, and leave your readers to form their own 
estimates of his worth. No man ever did himself jus- 
tice and worked as hard as Hezekiah Cobb, nor did any 
man do himself justice and allow others to reap the 
fruits of his labors to the extent that he did. He acted 



262 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

as if he thought it his duty to plant that others might 
reap. His trouble was in collecting money, not in earn- 
ing it, and when he fell in with hard cases, which was 
very common, he abandoned the debt rather than be 
bothered with its collection. I once heard of an old 
house being pulled down for the purpose of building a 
new one in its stead, the same parties having been the 
original builders. Calling on Mr. Cobb for the neces- 
sary lumber (he owned a saw mill), he modestly de- 
clined furnishing it; and on being questioned for his 
reason, replied that they had never yet paid him for the 
lumber in the old building. Two men went once to 
purchase a large lot of lumber from him. . Having 
made the necessary agreement and left him to measure 
the lumber, one of the partners, who did not know Mr. 
Cobb, suggested to the other that it might be better to 
get some one not interested to measure the lumber, as 
the old man might cheat. "Yes," said the otlier, "he 
will be certain to cheat, but it will be to cheat himself. 
No one," he continued, '^ that ever knew Hezekiah Cobb, 
would suspect him of cheating anj'one else." 

He was always hard run, in consequence of the diffi- 
cult}^ of collecting, until he took Cffizario Bias in partner- 
ship, when, although he worked no harder and had to 
devide the proceeds. Bias in a few years time had handed 
him over some forty thousand dollars. He was induced 
to go into a steamboat speculation, and bought or built 
the steamer Monarch, which, by bad management, never 
cleared expenses on any trip she ever made. After 
sinking all he had, and sinking him deeper in debt, she 
finally sunk herself, which was the best thing the steamer 
ever did for the owner. From that day until his death 
he knew nothing but hard work and terrible pecuniary 
difficulties. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 263 

Hezekiah Cobb was the first man that erected a steam* 
engine on this bluff. He built the first saw-mill and 
sawed the first lumber. He served longer as Alderman 
than perhaps any other man ever did, and that too 
whenj neither thanks, pay nor benefits accrued from it; 
and I will veniure to say, no one was more attentive or 
faithful in the discharge of public duties, and should 
justice ever be done the pioneers and benefactors of 
Memphis, the name of Hezekiah Cobb will certainly oc- 
cupy a prominent position. 



OLD SAM. BROWN 



ANECDOTES, PECULIARITIES, ETC. 

Colonel Samnel R. Brown arrived on this bluff in 1819, 
and opened the first tavern here — a double log house, 
situated on the north side of Auction street, opposite the 
square. His means at that time appears to have been 
limited, as he was under the necessity of performing the 
duties of landlord, barkeeper, hostler and general ser- 
vant, of whom, I think, an anecdote will not be out of 
place here. It seems he had previously acquired the 
title of Colonel, but whether legitimately or merely dub- 
bed, I am unable to say, except that military titles were 
not so common in that da}^ as after General T. C. 
McMackin's coming, who made Colonels of us all. A 
well dressed, gentlemanly looking person called at 
the house on business, and inquired for Colonel Brown. 
Mrs. Brown informed him that he was not in, but proba- 
bly would be in a few minutes. Soon after a man drove, 
or, rather, rode up on a bare-backed, little, old, gray 
pon}', to which was attached a truck-cart, that creaked 



264 HISTORY OP MEMPHIS. 

SO loud you could have heard it a mile. The wheels 
were sawed from an ordinary sized tree, and were at- 
tached by an anxle about four feet in length; the frame 
being made of the fork of a small tree, or sappling, and 
the crotch held to the hight of the axle by a strong 
curved peg, or foot, as they were called, while the prongs 
rested on the axle. In this fork or frame was secured a 
barrel, with the bung sawed out, leaving an opening some 
five or six inches square, into which a dove-tailed lid was 
slightl}^ driven, to prevent the sloshing out of the water; 
and in this wa3^ all families were supplied, as cisterns 
were then unknown. Thus the Colonel came up, his 
shirt, which was then his outer garment, from the waist 
up, appeared to have rendered a week's service since its 
previous boiling. He had shoes, but no socks on ; his 
breeches, according to the pattern of the day, had ample 
but low seat, so that when riding they drew up full half 
way of the calf. It is but just to say that the Colonel 
had a very fine pair of calves, and may have been pro^ul 
of showing them. 

" There," said Mrs. B., " is Colonel Brown," pointing 
to him of the water-cart. 

The stranger looked from one to the other, in surprise, 
several times before being satisfied that he w^as not 
trifled with. 

The Colonel seemed to have acquired an earty love for 
office, and for more than twenty j^ears, uninterruptedly, 
held from one to three. All that was necessary was to 
get on the good side of the Representative in the Legis- 
lature, who then controlled all the appointments for local 
or county offices. " Samuel" could make himself social 
and jovial when he tried, and tell mau}^ good jokes on 
himself, but it did not come natural, and Was only re- 
sorted to in cases of uecessitv. He was the first Sheriff' 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 265 

of Shelby county, and served, I think, two terms. After 
which he concluded that the clerkship of the Court, or 
rather of two Courts, would pay better, and put in for 
them, known as the Circuit and Court of Pleas and Quar- 
ter Sessions — succeeding of course, as he had thoroughly 
wormed in with the appointing power. Yet he was not 
happy. The office of Magistrate being open he applied 
for, and was also appointed to that office. This was quite 
handy, as he could, as Magistrate, bind a fellow over, and 
thus get two or more fees out of him. He could also, as 
Clerk, issue a license to himself to marry a couple, and 
then, by virtue of the power from himself to himself, sol- 
emnize the nuptials. 

He used to tell a pretty good story in reference to his 
first performance in that line, which, as well as I can re- 
member, I will endeavor to repeat; and it is, perhaps, 
necessar}^ to say that although our country friends are 
not now the most polished in the world, yet the}^ are a 
decided improvement on what they were fifty years ago; 
so that such stories are no reflection on the present gen- 
eration. The Squire having empowered himself, pock- 
eted the document and arrived at the place in the dusk 
of the evening. The old lady met him in fine spirits, 
and an introduction followed: 

"This is Squire Brown," she said. 

" I pass for it," he answered, in the vernacular of the 
day. 

" This is Mrs. ." 

"I pass for it," she responded. 

They had just received an ample supply of whisky, 
and all had sampled it and unanimously voted it good. 
After a hearty shake of hands he was led in and took a 
seat. The old woman then went to a large goard, thrust 
her hand in and withdrew it with a pretty fair handfull 



266 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

of dark brown sugar, which she put into a tin-cup, then 
some water, and with her fore-finger proceeded to stir. 
The maternal liead of a country family is not only a very 
responsible, but laborious position. 

"Mammy," sang out an urchin, "come here to Sam; 
"he is running sticks into the 'lasses jug." 

"I'll git arter Sam soon's I mixes the Squire a toddy," 
responded the old lady. 

" Mammy," cried the bride elect, " come and help me 
fix my harr." 

" Oh hush, I shan't do it till I've done made the Squire 
a toddy." 

Next came a gruff voice — 

"Old woman, you had better look after these things, 
if you don't want the children to eat them up." 

And again the same reply; meanwhile the finger was 
industrious!}^ plied, and the liquor added in broken doses, 
between which she would withdraw the finger from the 
cup and apply it to her mouth, for the purpose of testing 
its flavor. She was evidently an expert at the business, 
and determined to do the present potation up Brown. 
The Colonel had seen too many fingers in his previous 
messes to squeam at this; beside he was very dry, and 
although the cup was fall to the brim, did not return it 
until empty, not seeming to know that it was designed 
for two, with that grand old sentiment — 

"Here's luck, Mrs. ." 

But the old woman was under the necessity of making 
another mess before she could return his compliments, 
which was — 

" Same to you. Squire." 

After which she bustled and scolded around at a ter- 
rible rate until the ceremony was ready to proceed. The 
parties being arrayed before him, he arose with great 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 26-7 

dig:nity — Sara was a very dignified man — and, drawing 
forth the document, commenced thus: "I hold in my 
hand authorit3^ from Samuel R. Brown" — here he be- 
came confused and could not proceed. The more he 
tried to "un-confuse the deeper he confused." But Sam 
had been a pedagogue in his time, and had learned the 
way of avoiding a burst of laughter at some ludicrous 
scene — which was, to get terribly mad; for which purpose 
they always keep an unfortunate scapegoat, whom they 
call up and flog, as a warning to others, and also to turn 
the master's mind from the pleasant to the vindictive; it 
likewise relieves the monotony; so whether "studious or 
not, scapie is bound to catch it" — which, I am told is a 
certain cure for laughter, and also answers as a relief 
from embarrassment. Sam found that he was obliged to 
get mad or give up the job in disgrace, so, looking hastily 
around for a "scapie," and seeing some of the men 
rather close behind, turned round and ordered them, in 
the most angry and authoritative tone, to stand back, or 
he would be compelled to suspend the ceremony, and at 
the same time driving them to the wall, b}' which move- 
ment he suflicientl}^ recovered himself, and went through 
without further interruption, in a most creditable man- 
ner. 

After which came the liquor, then the supper, then the- 
liquor again. It is due to Sam to say that his fret, hav- 
ing not only answered its purpose, but established his 
importance, was readil}^ abandoned, and he became one 
of the j oiliest of the crowd. The dance was opened by 
Boon Schoat bolting up to Sail}' Swarringame, with — 

"Now, Sal, you bantered me for a jig at t'other wed- 
ding, when you knowed 1 war too drunk to dance, but 
Fm 3'our man now, and all right." 

" And I'm j'our gal,' replied Sally, as she bounced to 



268 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

her feet, " Jist wait till I git my shoes and stockings off. 
I never could dance worth a cent, with 'em on." 

So, after tying a handkerchief around her waist and 
setting her comb down in her hair — while Boon was 
shucking his coat and girting himself — they went at it, 
and the way they made the puncl eons rattle for half an 
hour was a terror to the rats beneath, cheered on by their 
friends. The men showed their gallantry hy siding with 
Sally, while the women were equally magnanimous to 
Boon, and "Hurraw, Boon," "Go it, Sally," "Now 
you've got him," "Them's the licks," was alternately 
exclaimed during the set-to. As to which beat was a 
question never yielded b}^ the opposing side. 

After the Constitution was changed, giving the election 
to the people, the Colonel was twice elected Clerk of the 
Circuit Court, making three terms of six years each, but 
left him out of the County Court and Magistracy. Hav- 
ing so long been independent of the people, and having 
acquired a tone and manner anything but pleasing, he 
found difficulty in changing it. At the end of his sec- 
ond term many thought he had held office long enough, 
and made enough to quit. He, therefore, pledged himself 
that if his friends would stand by him once more he 
would not be a candidate again. They done so, but 
no sooner was the election over, and he triumphant, 
than he relapsed into his former mode. He seemed to 
think he would have no further use for friends, became 
sullen, unaccommodating and, in some instances, uncivil. 
He could readily forget a friend, but not an enemy, and 
voting against him was a crime he rarely forgave, partic- 
ularly in one who had formerly supported him, — though 
there was nothing unnatural in that. At the close of his 
last term he moved from Raleigh to Memphis, where soon 
the old desire for office returned. He sought, by jokes 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 269 

and pleasantr}" to re-establish himself in public favor, 
but it would not take; so, after several defeats, he be- 
came convinced that his chances for office here were 
hopeless — a fact that was evident to everybody else long 
before. Disgusted and soured, he quit the State and 
moved to Desarc, Arkansas, where, to reward him for 
the honor of his citizenship, they made him Mayor. I 
might tell a good story of the difficulty between him and 
old Dr. Sledge, but shall pass it lor the present. He 
died only a few days ago, at a very advanced age. 

I have spoken of Colonel Samuel R. Brown with, per- 
haps, more levity than was proper, and I think it but 
due to say that he was a good citizen, and possessed of 
many good qualities. Colonel Brown was an only 
brother, but had, I think, nine sisters, who were remark- 
able for their beauty, intelligence and general lad^^-like 
bearing. The elder was Mrs. Minott, mother of our fel- 
low-citizen. Esquire Thomas B. Minott. Two of them 
married Lawrences, William and James H., the former 
still living, though I do not know that any of her child- 
ren are. Two of them married Tituses, Fearn and James. 
One married Thomas Phoebus, the first Editor of Mem- 
phis, — after whose death she married Mr. Wm. B. Means. 
She was the mother of our fellow-citizen, Thomas Phce- 
bus. I cannot now call to mind who the other married, 
for I believe two of them never married at all. They 
were, I think, somewhat choice, as the list above will go 
to prove. 

CHAELES B. MURRAY. 



I found the individual whose name heads this article 
here when I first located in 1828. He was a tailor by 
trade. He prided himself in being unlike any other man 



270 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

on earth; desired to be looked upon as a great ladies' 
man; dressed extravagantly. He joined the Thespians, 
and would have made a pretty fair actor had he not put 
on quite so man}^ monkey airs. They, however, well-nigh 
cured him of that, by hissing him whenever he at- 
tempted it. He secured the appointment of captain, 
from the fact that nobody else wanted it; and, although 
it might have been reasonably supposed that nothing 
could have made a fool of Murray, this did, and still left 
a margin. About a year later he was appointed Magis- 
trate. This threw his head so far in the rear that the 
wonder was how he succeeded in keeping his body 
under it, and had he stumped his toe, he would certainly 
have fallen backward. Being a pretty fair singer, he 
would take his seat on the front bench of the Method- 
ist church, where he would throw in the thorough bass 
with a depth of volume which seemed to come from the 
bowels of the earth. When the prayers came in, and 
everybod}'-, professor or worldljdte knelt, the Squire would 
throw himself back, assume a bold, indifferent look, while 
a sarcastic smile, or grin, played over his carniverous 
features. As a magistrate he tried to ape old Ike Eaw- 
lings, and so far as the ape was concerned, succeeded 
admirably; but when he came to the sensible part, 
was completely lost. He professed to be a man of very 
extensive reading, particularl}^ in law. McAlpin soon 
learned his weak points, and, instead of reading law, 
would cite him to some authoritj^, which he would say 
" corapletel^^ settles this question, as your honor well 
knows." A graceful nod from his honor would virtually 
say, "certainly! " He culled all the highfalutin he came 
across, and wrung it into his conversations, without re- 
gard to its signification, if it had any. He was heavy 
on sublime, but unfortunately always went a few steps 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 271 

beyond. Light was his great theme, and all his efforts 
at original sentiment were based upon the celestial 
blessing. At a public dinner, being called upon for a 
toast, he rose and throwing himself into the attitude of 
an Ajax defying lightning, thrusting his fist as far to- 
ward heaven as possible, exclaimed '' Hail Holy Light." 
Then, after a few seconds pause, during which he main- 
tained his attitude, casting his eye over the assembly, 
and not being satisfied with the effect, raised his eyes 
again, and, in a deep hollow tone, as if some departed 
spirit were speaking through him, exclaimed, " My God, 
what a sentiment." 

In the summer of 1839, the men of Memphis were 
thrown into the most intense excitement by a placard, 
in manuscript, being found posted against a wall, per- 
porting to be a list of books recently published, in which 
the name of every man of prominence in the place was 
shown up as an author, and their subjects were such as 
were best calculated to hold their reputed authors up to 
ridicule; for instance, the greatest drinker, of the gen- 
tlemanly class, for it alluded to no other, was writing on 
Temperance. But, perhaps, old Charlie's case wiU be 
about as fair a sample as I can give, and ran thus: 
"Murry on Originality, with a portrait of the author, 
bound in calf." Again, "Christian Piety and Fancy 
Flights, by the author of Originality." '^ The Squire, 
like a number of others, was in a terrible rage, and 
showed his originality by being particularly offended by 
the manner in which his work was bound. He spent 
three days overhauling all the documents he could find, 
with the hope of detecting the handwriting. Coming 
out in front of the Pinchite's Tavern, at the first of the 
excitement, he exclaimed with furious oaths and violent 
gesticulations : 



272 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

" Had the scoundrel heard what I said he would have 
felt bad." 

"Ah! what did jou. say! " asked one. 

"I said — I said by , that it came from an uneduca- 
ted mind, by . [Hearty laughter.] 

The effect produced by this placard was generally 
Sfood on those therein named. It enabled them to 
" see themselves as others saw them," for all admitted 
the correctness of the hits, and caused some to correct 
their habits. Another peculiarity of this card was, that 
it was evidently prepared by some one well acquainted 
with the habits, weakness and short comings of the par- 
ties, and yet he was never discovered; and I might go 
farther and say never even suspected. 

Charles B. Murray, died as he had lived, showing his 
contempt for all things sacred to others, and often said 
he thanked his God that he had no religion. He died 
very suddenly from a rupture of an artery. When his 
doctor told him that, with prudence, he might live two 
or three weeks, he gasped out an oath, called the doctor 

a liar, and swore he would not live one week, which 

proved true. He served as Alderman several times. I 
have given an instance of one of his capers while acting as 
Mayor pro tem., in my story of the " First Fire Company." 
It is due to Squire Murray to say that he was an honest, 
sober, industrious man, and apart from his foolish and 
sacriligious whims, made a good citizen, as also a hus- 
band and father. He died in 1840, and was buried in 
Winchester Cemeter}-. 

He was a man of considerable study, and once de- 
tected an imposter who was passing himself off as a 
Turk. I have tried to have my memory refreshed in 
reference to this matter, as it would have proved the 
richest part of this story, but failed to do so. The 



rHE OLD Tl.MEb PAPERS. :>73 

mock Turk slipped off* as quietly as possible. On the 
steamer on which he took passage he found a Memphis 
man who knew of his exposure, and to whom he said, 

" If it had been any body else but a d d cross-eyed 

tailor that detected me I would not have felt so bad." 

The same scamp played off in Washington and other 
cities afterward successfully. 



A BRAVE ACT. 



Some forty years ago, when our cit}^ was in its in- 
fancy, and consisted of but two streets, dotted here and 
there with a few diminutive houses and stores: when the 
streets, now bordered with magnificent business houses^ 
beautiful churches and lovel}" homesteads, were dense 
woods, peopled only by the denizens of the forest, and 
the music of the sad-voiced whippoorwill, the mournful 
katydid, and the song of birds was all that broke the 
stillness, a band of Indians w^as crossing the Mississippi 
at this point. The Ferry privilege then belonged to» 
Captain Zachariah Hite, who was engaged, day and night, 
in transferring the sons and daughters of the " Great 
Manito " across the " Father of Waters." Late one 
afternoon, after leaving his landing on this side, the skies, 
suddenly became o'ercast, the winds howled and the rain 
descended in torrents, and at the point just above the 
mouth of Wolf river his flat became unmanageable, and 
the boat and its passengers seemed doomed. But despair, 
under an}^ circumstances, was a thing unknown to him. 
For himself and his faithful negro, Peter, he had no fear, 
for from childhood they had faced dangers together. 
The weather was bitter cold, but, nothing daunted, he 



274 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

seized the boat's cable, and jumping overboard, he called 
unto his faithful serviteur (as One had called eighteen cen- 
turies before, to him who was to hold the " keys of the king- 
dom of Heaven") — "Peter, follow me," and they swam 
till the}^ could obtain a footing, where they stood, hold- 
ing the boat, in the midsl of the storm, the icy water 
chilling them through and through, until the pitying 
hand of Him, wiio had once, with His "Peace, be still," 
calmed the turbulent waters of Galilee, was raised in 
their behalf, the tempest's fury was spent, and the flat, 
with its HUMAN freight, crossed safely to the Arkansas 
shore. Foi% years have passed since the incident above 
related, and the little town of Memphis has become a 
populous city, teeming with life. Who wdll sa}^ that the 
man who risked his life — so precious to his wife and lit- 
tle ones — to save the lives of the hunted, despised and 
mistreated red sons of the forest, was less noble, less 
brave than the hero of the battle-field. The Captain 
died in 1840, and is now sleeping peacefully in the quiet 
shades of Winchester. 



FRANCES WRIGHT (D'ARUSMONT). 



The short sketch I published of this most remarkable 
lady in my brief memoirs of Rawlings and Winchester 
has caused many of my friends to urge upon me a more 
extended notice, wdiich I unwittingly promised to do, but 
find it requires more space and ability than I have con- 
trol of. This history belongs to Memphis or its imme- 
diate locality. It was here, it might be said, that this 
lad}^ made her only permanent location, and here she at- 
tempted to carry into effect one of the grandest schemes 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 275 

ever conceived by mortal man or woman, it being nothing 
less than raising the negro race of the United States to 
citizenship. However chimerical this ma}^ appear to some, 
it was far more feasible than the one since undertaken, 
and now being carried out b}' the United States Govern- 
ment. Hers, in fact, was and is the Southern theory of 
to-day, to-wit: That the negro must be thoroughlj^ edu- 
cated up to its requirements before citizenship could be 
safely entrusted to him. Of the negro families pur- 
chased she expected to accomplish nothing, except, 
perhaps, the amelioration of their condition. It was with 
the second generation she expected to apply her test; to 
raise the children from infanc}^ free from an}' scene of 
degradation or inferiority, giving them fair educations, 
and impressing upon them the necessity of self-reliance. 
If successful, or reasonably so, her idea was that it would 
receive the necessary encouragement, and that in a cen- 
tury or more slavery would wear itself out, without 
convulsion or producing an}- material derangement of 
the social S3^stem. With the Northern or English Abo- 
litionists she had no sympathy. She looked upon them as 
a heartless, impracticable set, doing far more to retard 
than advance the cause of emancipation. The failure of 
the scheme she attributed wholly to the base conduct of 
those she left in charge of her affairs here during her 
necessary absence in Europe, in consequence of ill-health, 
which continued some three }■ ears. The negro she averred 
to have found far more tractable than she had anticipated. 
But it was to the cause of true religion that she con- 
tributed most, b}^ stripping it of the absurd dogmas that 
weighed it down in all intelligent, thinking minds, and 
only proved so many weapons in the hands of infidelit}'. 
Let an3'one who can look fift}" 3'ears back, and remember 
the doctrines taught at that time, (the very doubting of 



276 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

which would have consigned the sceptic to eternal tor- 
ture), and ask himself how man}^ of them have not only 
become obsolete, but no intelligent minister can be found 
who will claim that they were ever worthy of belief. 

Miss Wright seems to have had an inordinate thirst 
for knowledge and truth from infancy to death. On one 
occasion, after being frequently checked by her tutor, 
with the admonition that her questions were dangerous, 
she asked him : 

" Is truth dangerous?" 

" It is thought to be, my child," was the answer. 

From this she learned that Truth had still to be found, 
and that men dared not investigate it, which, however, 
did not deter her; and the further she traversed its for- 
bidden paths, the more she became enamored with its 
beauties and astounded at its wanton perversions. From 
that time forth she dedicated her untiring energies to its 
cause. 

As to her views of marriage, they are wholly misunder- 
stood, or designedl}^ misrepresented. She contended 
that marriage was a civil contract — and what else, ac- 
cording to the strict principles of the law, can be made 
of it? If one man imposes upon another by false repre- 
sentations, the law makes it a penal offense, beside an- 
nulling the contract; but if he imposes on a poor, con- 
fiding girl, even by baser falsehoods, the law not only 
secures him in his fraudulent gains, but tells her she has 
no redress; that she is this man's wife, and must go with 
him and execute her duties. Good, pious people tell her 
that these duties are to love and honor him, (as though 
such were possible), while the thoughtless consider it a 
good joke, and enjoy a hearty laugh over it; and the 
hero, however base his character, is made a hero indeed, 
while the poor victim is rendered wretched for life, — and 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 277 

all through the beauties of law, made, we are told, to pro- 
tect the innocent and punish the guilty. 

If a married couple find it impossible to live together 
happily, and mutually desire a separation, the law says 
NO. One of 3'ou must institute suit, make charges; the 
other oppose and defend. You were competent to enter 
into a contract when, perhaps, both were minors, but in- 
competent to dissolve it in mature years. Suppose one of 
m}^ daughters were to come to me and say, " Pa, my hus- 
band and myself cannot live together; he is perfectly will- 
ing to a separation, and I want you to take me home." I 
answer '• Yes, provided you get up a first-class scandal 
case, bring it before the courts, for the special benefit of the 
debased rabble, and after I think you have disgraced your- 
selves, your relatives, and the community in which you 
live, suflSciently, you may come home." Would not that 
be nice and fatherly? and 3'et it is what our parental 
law substantially says, and to what it drives all to who 
prefer separation to an ungenial union. My friend, Mr. 
Kerr's bill, in the last Legislature, limiting divorces to 
conjugal infidelity, would have only made the matter 
worse. That crime, on the part of the male, is now, I 
am sorry to sa}^ too lightly passed over by both sexes. 
Nine men out of ten would now confess to it rather than 
to brutal treatment or cruel neglect. Had Mr. Kerr's 
bill passed its effect would have been to have made the 
exceptional crime less opprobrious, and in cases of ue- 
cessit}^ justifiable. It is not long since perjury was jus- 
tified on that ground. 

I claim to know something of the American people, 
and particularly the Southern portion. They are very 
jealous of what they consider tlieir rights, which implies 
everything that does not infringe on the rights of others; 
an interference with which, instead of reconcilino:, only 



278 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

aggravates them to further resistance. Had the South- 
ern States been permitted to have gone out of the Union 
when they determined to do so, what sensible man does 
not believe that every one of them would have returned, 
and the Union been restored in far less time, without the 
loss of blood and treasure, or the horrid wrongs and 
hopeless ruin that followed, to say nothing of the thor- 
ough alienation, which an age will fail, I fear, to recon- 
cile. So with all other unions, attempted to be held to- 
gether by force or unnatural laws. 

In cases where one of the parties would resist, which 
I fancy would be rare, if Miss Wright's theories pre- 
vailed, the law could settle the questions in dispute — 
such as alimonj% disposition of children, etc. — without 
the disgusting expositions now so fluently dealt in. The 
only sufferers would be the scandal mongers, a few heart- . 
less, foul-mouthed lawyers, and some witty local editors. 
"When our law-makers and rulers study the natural pecu- 
liarities of these people, and restrain them only where 
the public good evidently demands it, they will find less 
ill feeling and a more strict and cheerful observance of 
social order; but where persons are compelled to violate 
one law in order to escape the unnatural oppressions of 
another, a contempt for all law is the inevitable conse- 
quence. Such, at least, is my observation. 

It is due to Miss Wright to say that she never advo- 
cated the thing called " Free Love." She advocated 
marriage, as she proved by her own act. It was onl}- the 
unnatural parts she opposed. 

DESCRIPTION. 

I first met the subject of these remarks in Cincinnati, 
in 1828, and heard her lecture in the Courthouse, which, 
although very large, was incapable of holding the num- 
ber who sought admittance on that occasion. Perfect 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 279 

decorum was observed, and all seemed deeply interested. 
After the conclusion, she passed out near where I stood, 
accompanied by some half dozen ladies and gentlemen. 
A few steps bej'ond me she was met by others, and quite 
a number of introductions followed. All appeared, and 
I knew some of them to be, the best citizens of the place. 
The most marked respect was extended to her. She ac- 
cepted an invitation and rode home with one of the most 
aristocratic families of the city. She seemed to me to 
be full six feet high, and more robust than in her later 
days. Her dress was a dark brown bombazine; the only 
remarkable thing about it was that she wore a bask, 
which was not common in those days; it was also higher 
in the neck than usual. Her hair, of a dark auburn, she 
wore in heavy ringlets, hanging down to her shoulders. 
Her hat was Leghorn, about four inches wide in the rim, 
which was narrower than then common. She wore no 
ornaments, not even a ribband. Although her features 
were heavily marked, I thought her handsome; but such 
eyes, such hair and such a dignity of mien could not fail 
to have made a beauty of any one. 

In after years her form became bent, and age, from 
sickness, perhaps, seemed to have set in early. In the 
streets of Memphis she generally wore a man's hat, and 
seemed rather indifferent about dress. Her mind ap- 
peared at all times deeply engaged; she passed through 
the crowd without heading them, talking to herself. She 
put up a J my father's house several times, and if she met 
a man at the table or elsewhere, who had traveled in any 
remote parts, she engaged him in conversation; drew 
her note book and took down everything she thought 
worthy, particularly as to the manners and customs of 
the people. I am fully satisfied she was the best in- 
formed person I have ever met with, though I think she 



280 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

lived full half a century before her time ; but perhaps 
not, as she certainly conceived, and, at a heavy expense, 
inaugurated schemes which she could never have hoped 
to see consummated in her day. 

The following biographical sketch is taken from the 
New American Cyclopaedia : 

Wright (D'Arusmont), Fanny, a social reformer and 
philanthropist, born in Dundee, Scotland, about 1796, 
died in Cincinnati, Ohio, January 13, 1853. She was left 
an orphan at the age of nine, and was indoctrinated by 
her guardian with ideas founded on the philosophy of 
the French materialists. Upon becoming of age she un- 
dertook a tour of travel in the United States, which 
embraced a period of three j^ears, from 1818 to 1820, 
and of which she published an account entitled " Views 
on Society and Manners in America." Soon after ap- 
peared her " Few Daj^s in Athens," a defense of the 
Epicurean philosophy. In 1825 she returned to America, 
and purchased two thousand acres of land in Tennessee, 
including part of the present site of Memphis, where 
she established a colony of emancipated slaves, whose 
social condition she endeavored to elevate for the purpose 
of proving the equality of the white and black races. 
The experiment eventually failed for reasons never sat- 
isfactorily explained, and the n'egroes were sent to Ha}- ti. 
She then appeared as a public lecturer in the eastern 
States, where her attacks upon negro slavery and other 
social institutions attracted large and enthusiastic audi- 
ences, and led to the establishment of what were called 
" Fanny Wright societies." Her visits were frequently 
extended to the principal cities of the Union, but the 
enunciation of views similar to those contained in her 
" Few Da3^s in Athens " met with very decided opposi- 
tion, and her efforts for the reformation of society proved, 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 281 

on the wliole, unsuccessful. About 1838 she was married 
in France to M. D'Arusmont, whose system of philos- 
ophy resembled her own; but they separated after a few 
j^ears, and Madame D'Arusmont, who continued to be 
known by the name of Wright, established herself with 
her daughter, the sole fruit of her marriage, in Cincin- 
nati, where she resided until her death. Ill health and 
the embarrassment arising from a suit brought by her 
husband to obtain possession of her property, interfered 
with her public labors as a lecturer, and the latter years 
of her life were passed in retirement. 

The following local history of Madam D'Arusmont 
is furnished by a much esteemed friend, and, doubtless, 
will prove very interesting: 

Frances Wright came to this country for the second 
time in the year 1824, in company with General La- 
Fayette, and formed, with her sister Camilla, part of the 
company from Europe, who accompanied this great pat- 
riot in this, his visit of triumph. 

But upon the return of the Marquis to France, Frances 
and Camilla removed to this countr}^, and in 1825 she 
purchased and settled a tract of land near Germantown, 
in this county, ever since known as Nashobah. 

This land she convej-ed in trust to General Jackson, 
General LaFayette and others, as trustees, for the purpose 
of establishing a school for negro children. Here she 
settled many families of slaves she had purchased for 
the purpose, and opened the school. But this proved a 
shortlived enterprise, and she carried the negroes to 
Haj^ti, and settled them in comfortable houses, (as the 
deed of reconveyance to Frances recites,) and which 
was really the fact. 

During the time she was employed in this philanthro- 
pic effort, she was frequently in Memphis, and is re- 



282 HISTORY OP MEMPHIS. 

memberecl by many of our citizens, and up to within a 
short time of her death paid occasional visits to Mem- 
phis and her estate at Nashobah. 

In 1829, she, in company with her sister Camilla, who 
was then married and had one child, left this country 
for Europe, to take possession of a large estate in Scot- 
land, coming to them by inheritance, and while in Paris 
in 1831, Camilla died, and was generally understood 
childless, thus leaving the entire estate to fall to Frances. 

About this time, or shortly after, Frances was married 
to Count D'Arusmont, who came over to this country, 
and was in company with Frances often in Memphis, 
but resided most of the time at Cincinnati. 

This proved an unfortunate marriage, and in later 
years a proceeding was filed b}^ her for divorce, in the 
Circuit Court, then at Raleigh, but the litigation was 
transferred to the courts of Cincinnati, where, for a long 
time, it was a celebrated case in the courts of that city. 

There was a young lady, Frances Sylvo Piquefol 
D'Arusmont, who will be remembered by some of the 
early settlers here, who was held out to the world as the 
daughter of Frances and the Count D'Arusmont, and 
to whom all the property was eventually willed by 
Frances. 

Over the birth, life and fate of this young lady there 
hangs a romance and myster}^ which may be solved in 
some of the legal investigations now before the courts 
of our country, and to which we will not further refer, 
that no prejudice may be worked parties in interest. 

Frances was probably the most accomplished and dis- 
tinguished woman of her time and country, and was in 
constant association with the leading reformers of this 
country and of Europe, and for a long time she and her 
sister were the guests of General LaFayette, in Paris, 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 283 

and in his letters to Camilla, he addresses her as " his 
daughter." 

Frances was for some time connected with, and fur- 
nished the greatest share of its funds, used in the vain 
attempt to establish at New Harmony, Indiana, the 
Social establishment so well remembered by early set- 
tlers in the South and West. 

In this she was seconded by Robert Dale Owen and 
others ot world-wide rexjutation. 

Her works—" A Few Days in Athens," " Views of 
American Society and Actions," were of considerable 
celebrity at the time. Whatever may now be thought of 
the views entertained, and life practiced, by this remarka- 
ble woman, it cannot be denied that she was a deep 
thinker, bold speaker, and resolute in action. 

She died in Cincinnati, Ohio, from the effect of a fall 
from her carriage, in 1852. 

REMARKS. 

Nowithstanding the great favor my friend has ren- 
dered me in the foregoing, I am almost tempted to fall 
out with him for his brevity. Modesty and delicacy are 
great virtues, but too much of a good thing, sometimes, 
becomes an evil. As to which of the two sisters Miss 
Sylvia was the daughter of, is not a question involved, I 
think, in the suits now pending. Could her fate or where- 
bouts be known, she is, undoubtedly, the right and legal 
heir to the estate. Should the mystery ever be unveiled, 
I feel certain she will prove to have been the daughter of 
Camilla, after whose death Frances conceived the idea 
of putting the child in some obscure place, and reporting 
it dead until, through a policy marriage, she could assume 
its parentage. 

There was no criminality in the matter, so far as the 
rio-hts of the child were concerned. The desire that one 



284 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

of the most distinguished families of Europe, who could 
trace their lineage through the dark ages, should descend 
to posterity through her, were doubtless the sole motives 
to the scheme, and the object of her ambition. Perhaps 
the desire to relieve herself of the current charge of impo- 
tency may have had something to do with it. 



BARTON RICHMOND, THE MONEY-KING OF 
THE SOUTH. 



The removal of the deposits, during President Jack- 
son's term, caused an immense increase of local Banks 
to spring up in all parts of the country, particularly in 
the States of Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama and Missis- 
sippi, especially in the two latter, and the country was 
soon flooded with these issues, which soon depreciated to 
about an average of fift}^ cents on the dollar. It was, 
however, very fluctuating in current value, being wholly 
subject to the caprices of the most unscrupulous set of 
men on earth. The most perfectly organized ring of 
that kind was formed here in Memphis, at whose head 
was Barton Richmond. For several years he regulated 
the value of, perhaps, fifty miilons of dollars, or what 
was then called dollars. All the Banks of Alabama, 
Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas, were, for a time, 
under his control, so far as their current value on the 
Mississippi river was concerned. Flatboatmen, from 
whom all our supplies were obtained, got the clue at 
Cairo of the general currency, and what Richmond's 
figures were on the same, which fixed their rates until 
they arrived here, when they called upon him in person 
and learned the variations, which lasted them to New 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 285 

Orleans. WLen on their home trip, time would have to 
be given them until they could run up and get Rich- 
mond's last quotations, which, although given verbally, 
were fully noted down for the benefit of such friends as 
they might meet coming down, which shows the impor- 
tant position Memphis then held, and still might occupy. 
This would have been very well, had there been any 
stability, or desired stability; but I have known Alabama 
money to vary from forty to ninety cents on the dollar 
four or five times a year, and generally at a single pop, 
when there was no more reasons or necessity for it than 
there would be to-day of a similar change in the na- 
tional currency. Other States, however, with the excep- 
tion of Mississippi, were not so outrageously buffetted; 
but I doubt whether one-fifth of them ever expected to 
redeem their issues from the first. Richmond never had 
any money of his own, but he always had a little of 
somebody else's, which he was instructed and limited 
to loan out on good collateral at one per cent, a day. At 
least such was his tale. He could shave a thirty day 
note, pocket the big half of it, and assure joii that it 
was a favor that he would not have done for any 
other man on earth; and the s^mipathising look he would 
give his victim at the time was well calculated to prove 
his sincerity; and, perhaps, truly his idea of an active 
dollar was one that doubled itself at 'east twice a year. 
Of course Richmond got rich, but his career was 
doomed to come to an end. Some undermining persons 
came in and ruined the trade, by offering money at the 
pitiful rate of five per cent, a month, besides advancing 
about double on same deposits, and poor old Bart, had the 
mortification of seeing the tight-ups, unmindful of past 
favors, abandoning him and going over to the enemy. 
Disgusted at such ingratitude, he gathered up his traps 



286 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

and transferred his wealth to Little Rock, where it seems 
his fortune was wrecked about the close of the war. 
The defunct money-king reappeared on the streets of 
Memphis, where he expected to find many old friends. 
After hustling around among those he so kindly aided 
at the liberal rates alluded to, he was astonished to find 
that none of them could be made to see wherein their 
further indebtedness lay. Again in disgust he shook 
the Memphis dust from his feet and went to Nashville, 
where he had lived prior to coming to Memphis. Per- 
haps Mr. Richmond ought not to be blamed. I can find 
in Memphis to-day, and no doubt in most other cities, 
pious, psalm-singing Christians who would act fully as 
bad if they had a chance; and if they are not reduced to 
want and penury, as he was, it will not be because they 
don't deserve it. He died in Nashville a few years ago 
in a state of destitution, over eight}^ j^ears of age. 



UNCLE LOUIS TREZEVANT. 



Among our earliest merchants was Louis C. Trezevant. 
He might be called a good man, without any remarkable 
stretch of the appellation, still you know people will 
talk. He was a veiy prominent member of the church — 
class leader, I believe — and played a conspicuous part at 
revivals, prayer-meetings, etc. It was customary in his 
time to send canvassers amono; the conOTeofation, to ura^e 
the most susceptible to go forward to be praj^ed for. 
L^ncle Louis was ver}^ active in this way, but his field 
was among the ladies. He, however, devoted too much 
time to certain witty ones, and the way he hung over the 
back of their seats, and seemed to enjoy their conversa- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 287 

tion, attracted the attention, ana, possibly, tlie envy of 
others. It was, however, observed that when his wife 
was present he was much more circumspect and reserved. 
Mrs. Trezevant was quite a domestic woman, and, al- 
though truly pious, rarely attended night meetings, 
which were old Louis's special favorite. 

They^had one kind of meeting they called Love feasts, 
something, I suppose, like a Quaker meeting, where each 
gets up, as the Spirit moves them, and tells how good 
the Lord has been, and how very wicked they are. 
They laid aside the usual reserve and frequently engaged 
in a hearty laugh at the extravagant expressions ot some 
ignorant devotee. In fact, it seemed to be a sort of re- 
ligious free-and-easy, in which a little fun was admissi- 
ble. I once obtained a ticket of admission, and went 
prepared for taking notes, but the}^ closed the door just 
as I was about entering and left me out. Old Louis took 
the leading character at Love-feasts. To him it was a 
feast of love indeed, provided alwa3^s the old woman was 
not about. The church used to get him up occasionally 
on charges of violating their discipline. On one occa- 
sion he bought several hundred barrels of whisky, for 
which he was arraigned; but after a littk fatherly admo- 
nition about the danger of whisky leading to dancing, 
allowed to pass. They, however, got him on a far more 
serious charge. The Cit}^ Hotel was opened with a 
grand ball. Old Louis was one of the Hotel Directors 
who permitted it. He did not go into the room where 
the dancing was going on, but looked in, and, some said, 
patted his foot to the music. Dancing was then looked 
upon as the unpardonable sin. Selling whisky, by the 
mouthful, barrel, or hundred barrels, was nothing com- 
pared to the mere lookins: at a ball-room; and I think 
his functions as class-leader was for a time suspended. 



288 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

Louis would not tell a lie for the world, but if facts 
themselves created a false impression, that was another 
thing. He dealt altogether in facts, and left impressions 
to others. Owning a farm in the bend below Island 
Forty, the front of which had fallen in so rapidl}^ that 
the old frame house which stood upon it had to be placed 
on rollers, and forced back three or four times » 3^ear, to 
prevent it falling in with the bank, he became very anx- 
ious to dispose of it. Taking a purchaser up to see it on. 
one occasion, he expatiated on its richness, showed the 
corn and cotton stalks, and told of the almost incredible 
quantity of pumpkins and turnips raised the year before 
from a comparatively small portion of it, but said not a 
word about its caving propensities. They, however, 
spoke for themselves, by loud splashing in the water, as 
slices three feet, more or less, in breadth would go in at 
a time, which, drawing the buyer's attention, he asked: 

" Mr. Trezevant, is this land not falling into the river 
very fast?" 

" Do 3^ou see that house?" asked Louis, pointing to the 
frame building. 

" I do," was the answer. 

" Well, sir," &Siid uncle Louis, " I assure you, most pos- 
itively, that that house is not six feet nearer the bank of 
the river now than it was ten years ago." 

This was satisfactory. The purchase of the place was 
closed; but two or three months later another removal of 
the house became necessary. 

I spoke of a large crop of pumpkins and turnips hav- 
ing been raised on the falling-in place the yea.Y before 
selling it. Perhaps I had as well tell what became of 
that remarkable crop. An idea struck Louis that they 
would prove profitable. (They had probably 3d elded well 
the year before.) So it was, the3^ were raised for ship- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 28^ 

nient to New Orleans, and the yield was prodigious. An 
arrange;ment with Josh. James was entered into to de- 
liver the aforesaid pumpkins and turnips to a certain 
c*onsi<i-nee in said city. A flatboat of sufficient size was 
procured and towed up to the place; but here a scientific, 
or horticultural question arose, which was, whether the 
two products had better be stowed separately, or whether 
one had bettei be put in first and brought to a level, and 
filled out with the other. This matter was thoroughly- 
weighed by Louis and other wise and profound heads,, 
the books being silent on the subject. It was finally 
decided that the pumpkins should be put in first, and the 
turnips on top, and thus the boat was loaded, shoved ofi*, 
and in due time arrived at her destination. The con- 
signee wrote Louis that pumpkins and turnips were in 
pretty fair demand, but that the prospect was that there- 
would be a rise soon. "Wait until pumpkins get to be 
'some pumpkins,'" was the laconic answer by returui 
mail. The rise was slow but steady, when one day Josh, 
cast his eye over the load, and was surprised to see that 
it had settled materially. A hurried examination showed 
that a spontaneous rot had taken hold of the pumpkins, 
and that they had ceased to be ' some pumpkins.' The 
malady had extended itself to the upper layer, and the- 
turnips w^ere also faring bad. Josh, reported to the con- 
signee, who told him to make the best disposition possi- 
ble of the load. The boat was hastily discharged, the- 
pumpkins consigned to the river, and a sale of the dam- 
aged turnips and empty boat efiected, yielding about 
enough to pay ofi' the men and expenses while there. 
On returning to Memphis he reported to uncle Louis 
verbally, and there was a pair of doleful looking coun- 
tenances. Some days after the pumpkin speculators met 
in the street — 



290 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

" Mr. James," said his patron, " had you not better 
•call round at the store and pay over what balance is due 
•me on that unfortunate expedition." 

Josh, ran his hand in his pocket and took out a silver 
?half-dollar ; handing it to the old man, he said: 

" There is the big half of all that was made." 

Dr. J. B. Mallory tells an excellent story, which will 
be found under the head of "Early Eeminiscences," 
of a Monsieur Dukaj^, but neglected to say that m}^ old 
friend Louis Trezevant was a sufferer to the tune of near 
seven hundred dollars, for goods furnished for the "upper 
plantation." One smart thing uncle Louis once done — 
don't understand me to say the only one — was the ex- 
posure of a mesmerizer. It was common at that time for 
fellows to travel around with a " subject," making him 
do all manner of things, by touching certain organs on 
the head. This fellow had a negro bo3", ver}^ ignorant, 
which was to be taken as an evidence of undoubted hon- 
esty. He could be made to laugh, cry, sing, dance, or 
do anything else that the professor desired, " or the audi- 
ence called for. Mr. Trezevant observed that the object 
was always announced in advance of the operation on the 
head, and thinking that though the eyes were shut the 
ears might not be, stepped on to the platform and asked 
if he would be allowed to propose a test. 

" Certainly," said the polite operator. 

" I want, then, to try him on the organ of digging po- 
tatoes," and immediately placed his own hand on the 
head of the negro, who, supposing it to be the hand of 
his boss, commenced a vigorous use of the arms, as 
though he was wielding a hoe. A tremendous laugh fol- 
lowed, and Professor Trezevant was awarded the honor 
of having discovered a new organ, and producing the 
most striking demonstrations; but the chagrined opera- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 291 

tor and bis subject slunk away and was never more beard 
of. 

OUl uncle Louis, I am told, is still living, in some part 
of Texas. He was quite an energetic business man, and 
if be did make some bad speculations, made enougb good 
ones to counterbalance and leave a bandsome margin. 
He was, for several terms, an Alderman, and tbe town 
could boast of few better. He was prompt in bis deal- 
ings and faithful to bis obligations — wbicb is saying a 
great deal for a man at any time. 



BAD BOYS OF EARLY DAYS 



Tbe following- is written b}- m}' old friend, J. J. Raw- 
lings,wbo came bere, a bo}', in 1824. Joe, I am afraid, was 
ratber a bad boy — in fact. Uncle Ike gave bim tbat char- 
acter; but Joe used to ^ay tbat Ike was an old tyrant. 
As to wbicb was rigbt, is a question I sball leave to my 
readers; for, after making Ike tbe hero of one of my 
best stories, and sub-bero of others, I cannot "go back" on 
bim. I would suggest, however, as a compromise, that 
they admit both statements; or, do as jurors sometimes 
have to do — split the difference. I fancy I see the 
youngster sk3'larking around, and hear the loud stamp 
of the old man's foot, with the exclamation : " Joseph! " 
and see Joe spring behind tbe counter, as though be was 
shot at. He seems half-way to plead guilty, and throws 
the blame on the girls — or, rather, the absence of girls — 
and if tbe reader is willing, I propose that we extend to 
him the benefit of a doubt. The store-boys of his day, 
such as himself, old Bill Carter, Ike Moon, Sam Mosby 
and Tom Young, (all of whom are still living), had to go 



292 HISTORY OP MEMPHTS. 

through a new schooling, before being qualified as sales- 
men, and study the languages — not Latin or Greek, but 
Chickasaw and Chocktaw — which they seemed to speak 
quite fluently. I can say for the boys in Joe Rawling's 
day, that, however bad they might have been as boys, 
they made the most energetic, enterprising and success- 
ful business men, and as good citizens as Memphis has 
ever been able to boast of. But read what Joseph has 
to sa}^: 

The boys in the little village, as Memphis might be 
called at that early day, were a pretty wild set; their fun 
and mischief had to be attended to. They meant no real 
harm, but their nocturnal depredations were of frequent 
annoyance to older ones, who would sometimes threaten 
extermination to the whole posse. It availed but little 
to them, they would approach the one offended and say, 
"We will get you into a good humor to night; we will 
bring Bill Henderson around and get him to play you a 
few tunes." (By the way. Bill Henderson played as sweet 
a violin as mortal man ever listened to ; the strains were 
sufficient to appease any one.) Or, " We will bring Rus- 
sell Bean round, and get him to sing you a few songs." 
Kussell Bean was an excellent singer, always carried his 
song book in his pocket, and would sing it through if 
requested. Well, 'the reply might be, " You had better 
go to church and learn to do better.'' The rejoinder 
most probably was, " We went to hear Elijah CoflTey, 
last Sunday, and if God will forgive us for that we will 
not go again." 

I never heard Coflfey but once, and that was in com- 
pany with some other boys on a beautiful Sabbath day, 
and the sermon was not very highly appreciated. On 
retiring, we stood about the door a while, and presently 
Coffey passed by, when one of the boys accosted him, 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 293 

saying — " Coffe}^, that was the dariidest meanest sermon 
Ijever heard." " Well," said Coffey, " I generally adopt . 
my sermons to suit the congregation." 

Under the circumstances, I think great allowance 
should be made for the mischievous propensities of the 
bo3's. We had no societies, no ladies to visit, no church 
to go to. Turn loose a set of young lads without the 
salutary influence of ladies' society, and they have 
nothing to restrain them. To our ladies the boys are 
indebted for all that is gentlemanly and conservative in 
their j^oung da3^s. 

The country at that time was almost a complete 
wilderness; had but few roads and bridges, and was but 
sparsely settled. The largest settlement was north of 
here, on Big Creek. There lived Jesse Benton, John 
Ralston, Charles Bolton, John Bolton, Wm. Vaughan, 
Kader Harrell, Wm. Bond, John Reaves, Alexander 
Snead and Starke Fleetwood. Of all my acquaintances 
at that early day, I can now call to mind but one living — 
Tewill Gdldsby. In the absence of roads end bridges, 
that settlement did its trading by way of the rivers. 
They came down Big Creek and Ilatchie and Wolf rivers 
in skiffs, or perogues, and carried back large quantities 
of supplies at a trip. They were neighbors, a unit in 
principle and feeling, and a more honorable set of men 
I never knew. They were in a new country and ready 
to defend themselves against all dishonest and thieving 
interlopers. A horse-thief would, once in a while, dis- 
turb their honest propensities. I heard of one being 
caught, after committing many trying depredations. 
The proof was positive against him. They, therefore, 
came to the conclusion that it was u&eless to trouble the 
law and courts with one that had evaded them so suc- 
cessfully heretofore; and that there was no jail in the 



294 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

county secure enough for him, who had bid them defiance 
in many instances; so they concluded they would use a 
certain hollow-tree instead of the county jail. He was 
securely fastened in it, and I never heard of his getting 
out. However, it broke up all horse-stealing on Big 
Creek. 

It is a common acceptation among some that the first 
settlers of a new countrj^ are generally a rough, uncouth, 
careless, dishonorable set — regardless of proper civilities 
to their kind, and boast of any advantages they may be 
able to acquire. As respects the names of every indi- 
vidual here mentioned, I had ever}^ opportunit}^ of know- 
ing them well, and can safely testify to the character of 
each and every one, and can sa}^ with truth that they 
would more than favorably compare with an equal num- 
ber of planters of the present day. Their dealings were 
all honorable, to the highest extent. Although it was 
the custom at that time to buy goods on time, and to pay 
but once a year, I never knew of a single debt to be a 
total loss. Should one of them be a little behind at the 
end of the year, his neighbors were all readj^ to go his 
security for eventual payment. Now compare that with 
the present time; what is the difference? Let those who 
have sustained the planters of this day answer, and I 
will venture the reply will be in favor of the rough, un- 
couth first settlers of this countr}^ A high degree of 
civilization, the influence of churches, and the fear of 
the law have not forced the present generation bej^ond 
the natural honest qualities of their ancestors. 

The settlers south of town were, Wm. Persons, Colonel 
H. Person, Wm. Roberts, Frederick Christian. Those on 
the east were Joseph Graham, Nathaniel Anderson, Jno. 
B. Holmes. The first merchants were Isaac Ila^\dings, 
Winchester & Carr, and Henderson & Fearn. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 



THE TURNING POINT OF LIFE. 



295 



Samuel M. Gates and Camillus Hart were two moral, 
but romantic boys, much attached to each other. It was 
their habit to spend their Sundays in the unbroken 
forests— "A Stroll in the Woods for Me" seemed to be 
their motto. Gates, however, was quite religiously in- 
clined. One Sunday morning they had started, as 
usual, lor the woods— though Gates had proposed going 
to church, his friend declining. On reaching the bayou 
bridge he again hesitated. ''Camillus," said he, '^1 
w^ould much rather go to church. Let us turn back and 
hear a good sermon." 

Hart now hesitated, but finally answered: "If you 
wish to go back, do so, but I am bound for a roam through 
the woodland wilds." 

They parted, the one to commune with nature, the 
other with nature's God. A very impressive sermon was 
preached, young Gates became deeply affected, and 
finally con^'erted, joined the church and has ever since 
been one of its most constant members. Time passed. 
The boys became men and were thrown upon the world 
to work out their destiny. 

Mr. Gates went into business in Memphis, while 
Mr. Hart sought his fortune, and cast his lot in the 
then more wealthy regions of Louisiana, where he 
engaged in business, and both seems to have prospered. 
Tim^ passed, and however gentle he may act with the 
moral and steady, yet leaves his indelible impress. Rad- 
ical changes had taken place in all things; new associ- 
ations formed, and old ones, in a measure, forgotten, when 



HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

dolonel Hart visited the scenes of his bo3^hood, accom- 
panied by his beautiful and accomplished daughter, of 
whom any father might well have been proud. When I 
met him and he made himself known on the street, for 
he had outgrown my recognition, I was struck with his 
general appearance, for a more perfect model of human 
framework I had rarely seen, — full six feet high, while 
his dignified bearing and urbane manners proclaimed 
his true character. Among others he met his old friend 
•Gates, and a cordial greeting ensued, with a pressing 
invitation to the Colonel and daughter to spend an 
■evening with Mr. Gates and family, which was, of course, 
accepted, and at the appointed time the guests entered 
the hospitable mansion and was received with all be- 
-comlng etiquette. The evening passed as might be sup- 
posed with persons of refined tastes and manners. At 
the usual hour of retiring Mr. Gates arose, took down 
the famity Bible, informed his guests of his unvarying- 
custom and proceeded to read a chapter. After which 
they were called upon to kneel, and a fervent prayer 
was oflTered up, which was followed b}^ a hymn. The 
ceremony being concluded, Mrs. Gates after the retiring 
salutation, took the arm of her fair visitor and con- 
ducted her to the rooms prepared for her, and the friends 
of early days were alone together. After a few moments 
silence the Colonel, with tears on his cheeks, spoke : 

" Mr. Gates," said he, " do you remember that beauti- 
ful Sunday morning when we parted on the bridge, after 
jour fruitless eftorts to persuade me to accompany you 
to church." 

" I do," said Gates excitedly. 

" I have thought of it a thousand times, and well I 
might, for it was to me the turning point of life." 

"And to me, also," interrupted the Colonel; "ah," he 



THE OLD TI3IES PAPERS. 297 

continued, " how often I have looked back upon.that stub- 
born act, as one of my greatest errors; how much trouble 
and sorrow might I have escaped had I then complied 
with your request, and to-day been a better and a hap- 
pier man." 

The two friends here threw themselves into each 
others arms and wept upon each others necks. 

I have, perhaps, taken too much liberty with these 
gentlemen's names. Few persons like to have their 
weaknesses paraded before the public; and yet this was 
no weakness, but the true outpourings of noble, manly 
spirits. Tears thus shed would have done honor to the 
most eminent and exalted, especially, I might say of 
Colonel Hart, whose position had brought him, unavoida- 
bly, in contact with the rude, vicious and debased; yet, 
notwithstanding the trying ordeal through which he had 
passed, his heart had lost none of its native purity and 
his conscience remained unseared by scenes of carnage. 



A RELIC OF EARLY GRANDEUR-DEATH OF 
MISS MARIA A. EATON. 



There recently stood opposite the Overton Hotel, on 
Main street, an old two-story frame ; in fact, it still stands 
there, but has been moved back to make room for a more 
stately edifice, by which it will soon be, no doubt, hid 
from view. Few would have thought, forty years ago, 
that such would have been its fate. I almost fancy I see 
Dr. Wood Tucker, father of Mr. S. H. Tucker, a distin- 
guished citizen of Little Rock, Ark., strutting back and 
forth through its spacious hall, as with the conscious 
pride of being the builder, owner and occupant of the 



298 HISTORY OP MEMPHIS. 

finest residence in Memphis. It was afterward occupied 
by Robert Lawrence, Jessee M. Tait, Dr. Wyatt Chris- 
tian and other prominent men of that day. 

Squire Richards tells quite a number of amusing an- 
ecdotes in connection with this old building that would 
be worth relating here, but I shall confine myself to one 
incident, of a rather melancholy nature, and one that has 
made a lasting impression on my mind : 

Immediately after its completion, in 1832, a Miss 
Maria A. Eaton, sister of Hon. John H. Eaton, a member 
of President Jackson's Cabinet, who at that time was 
kicking up a terrible dust in Washington, or rather, his 
wife was, as she, for a time, it was believed, ruled all de- 
partments of the Government, distributed its favors, and 
when some of the cabinet ministers rebelled, she bursted 
the cabinet up ; but she finally came to a most pitiable end. 
I have nothing to do with her. Miss Maria A. Eaton 
possessed all the talents of her sister-in-law, while scorn- 
ing her unscrupulous and debasing schemes. Though 
apparently bold and fearless — for she could have ad- 
dressed the combined dignitaries of the world with a 
grace, ease and self-possession that would have done 
credit to an}^ — she yet possessed so amiable and afi'ec- 
tionate a nature as to secure the love of all, while her 
loft}^ and dignified bearing proved a sufficient protection 
in her extensive and, sometimes, venturesome travels. 
I do not know whether any of her writings are extant, 
but they were certainly worthy of preservation. Her 
verses, but for their melanchoi}^ cast, would have been 
rare specimens of beaut}^ She was a misanthropist, at 
least so far as her relatives were concerned, and much 
incensed at the conduct of her brother. On the com- 
pletion of the Tucker mansion she secured rooms in it, 
for the double reason of their superior accommodations 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 299 

and that the convenience of a physician was necessary 
to her impaired health. She was hardly located in her 
new quarters before she was taken down, never to rise 
again, and after about a week's lingering, died. To have 
heard that dear lady talk one would almost have thought 
themselves in the presence of an inspired person, and 
their wonder would have been how any could wrong, or 
how she could have erroneously conceived herself wronged 

by any. 

JNly wife, then a young lady, was an almost constant 
attendant at her bed-side during her last illness, and re- 
ceived a letter from her aged mother, thanking her and 
other young ladies for their care and kindness to her 
unhappy daughter during her sickness. Her grave lies 
in a seiluded part of Winchester Cemetry, covered by 
a large marble slab bearing the following inscription : 

SACREt) TO THE MEMOHY OF 

MARIA ALLEN EATON, 

DAUGHTER OF WM. A. EATON, DECEASED, 

OF HALIFAX CO., N. C. 

BORN AUG. 5th, 1797, AND DIED JULY 18TH, 183->. 

" THEY THAT SLEEP IN JESUS, 
WILL GOD BRING WITH HIM." 

Rev. Samuel Williamson preached her funeral sermon, 
and displayed a degree of fervor that proved the depth 
of that truly good man's heart. 

My wife visits the grave of Miss Eaton as she does 
that of a relative, never failing to leave a token of her 
affection. A friend wrote some verses to her memory, 
which were published at the time. The following is the 
only one that I now remember: 

" Maria ! dear, departed slia:le ; 
She sleeps beneath the sod. 
Her body there entombed must rest, 
And moulder with the silent dust; 
Her spirit meets her God." 



300 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 



WILLIAM CARTER. 



I have just received an interesting communication 
from my old friend, Billy Carter, as we used to call him. 
He still runs his large and well stocked plantation near 
German town, man}^ of his old, faithful servants adhering 
to him. It still, however, lacks one very important, 
appendage, commonly called a wife. The old fellow, 
though seemingly courageous enough in other matters, 
has shrunk from popping the question. But, perhaps, 
some pert beauty has told him " no," and it has " soured " 
him against the whole fraternity. I had one to talk that 
way to me once, and know how it hurts. I pouted 
about it a good while, but finally recovered. 

To look at old Billy, one would hardly suppose he had 
ever seen the inside of a store, much less flourished be- 
hind a counter. Still, his was always the heavy shipping 
business, and although raised behind a dry goods coun- 
ter, yet he never put on much style. 

His communication is a general " hash " of early inci- 
dents, and says he supposed I would prefer fixing it up 
to suit myself How very considerate ! 

It appears that his father moved here from Shawnee- 
town, Illinois, in the winter or spring of 1826. The 
family appear to have been in quite indigent circum- 
stances, and to make matters worse, the father died the 
following year. Billy's first employment was driving a 
pair of mules, in a circular manner, under Joe Davis' 
cotton gin, it being the first thing of the kind in Shelby 
county. He gives a long and amusing account of this 
gin ; and how the farmers in the Big Creek settlement 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 301 

(which was, perhaps, the most wealthy in the District), 
brought their seed cotton — sometimes in perogues — to 
Davis' gin; also all other settlements. And when they 
afterward got gins, they w^ere for several years without 
presses, and the}'' would bring their lint cotton in bags for 
pressing. He has a vivid recollection of the Indian 
habits and trade. Sometimes the town would be literally 
crowded wdth them — including squaws, pappooses and 
ponies. Their sub or impromptu councils were generally 
held on the bluff, about wdiere the Commandant's house 
now stands. Here they w^ould form in a circle, some- 
times a hundred feet in diameter, with a small fire in the 
center. Then the tomahawk-pipe would be filled with 
killikinick, a mixture of tobacco and shomack, and it was 
astonishing how much smoke it would 3ield. The more 
moderate Indians would take from one to two puffs, but 
old hoggish fellows would frequently take as many as 
three, and the last one would make you think his legs 
were hollow, as there certainly cou]d not be room for 
that much smoke in his pounch ; but wherever it found 
quarters inwardly, it returned through his nostrils, from 
which two columns of smoke would be ejected that would 
have done credit to a one-horse steam engine. The pipe 
was refilled as readily as it gave out; but they never 
used but one. The bottle would also take its course, 
but not so frequent or regular. There was always one 
Indian, wdio, although he would take an occasional whiff 
at the pipe, never touched the bottle. This was the 
lookout. No sooner, however, was he relieved than he 
made the bottle gargle. 

After the pipe had made its first rounds, an orator 
would rise and bow, first to the oldest man in the ring, 
then gracefully on either side; then rub his hands, cast 
his eyes up, and appear for a few moments lost in medi- 



302 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

tation, and would, perhaps, have taken a sip of water had 
there been any present. He would first open in low and 
measured words, but would gradually warm up until the 
most powerful jesticulations would follow, while his voice 
would vary, alternately, from the highest to the lowest 
key. At one time he seemed to threaten a pugilistic 
attack on all; and at another, would apply the most 
soothing and affectionate accents, with upturned eyes 
and clasped hands, apparently appealing to the Great 
Spirit to verify his statements. Then, of a sudden, 
drawing down his visage and casting his eyes around 
the circle, he would, in tone and manner, seem to chal- 
lenge their better sense and judgment. At the conclu- 
sion he would again bow to the old man, specifically'^ and 
then to the others, generally uttering, as he did so, the 
words, "mark skech," (I've spoken), and take his seat. 
A low but general moan would be all the response; 
no applause, no interruption, save the passage and puffing 
-of the pipe, while the strictest attention would seem- 
ingly be paid. After the speaker had been seated a 
minute or more, another would arise and deliver himself 
with a greater or less degree of force, conclude in the 
same manner and receive the same response. I think if 
our white orators have not learned their mode of delivery 
from the Indian, they and their auditory might, at least, 
learn something from him in the way of politeness. 

Their ball plays, which I have witnessed on the 
level bluff below Beal street and in Fort Pickering, were 
certainly the most athletic performances I have ever 
seen. 

Billy devotes considerable space in his letter to the 
description of the fine fruit that grew on the old Indian 
or Fort Pickering place. He does not speak, though, of 
hooking any of the fruit. If he did not, he was an excep- 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 303 

tioii to the boys, generally. But in my time, tliey had 
some ugly clogs there. He does not say a word about 
old Paddy Meagher's (formerly Henry Foy's) fine 
orchard. By-che-way, Billy used to live with old Paddy. 
I wonder if he ever learned to milk goats. Til bet he 
drank goat milk and eat goat meat while he stayed with 
Paddy, or done worse. I wish he had told us about that 
bear fight in which Paddy got his two dogs killed. If I 
recollect aright, the animal was quietly emigrating to 
Arkansas, as they were generally permitted to do, except 
when the boys wanted a little sport, then they would set 
the dogs on them. But this was a huge fellow, and was 
passing about where the Worsham House now stands, on 
his way from the bayou, when Paddy was induced to set 
his dogs on him; and in about two minutes Paddy was 
dogless. The old fellow was terribly distressed about 
the loss of his orchard guardians; but he did not gain 
much sympathy from the boys. Joe Kawlings admits 
that he" was glad of it. While bruin was making his way 
down the ravine, where Cochran's lumber yard is now, 
old Henry James gave him a rifle ball full in the lace, 
and he keeled over and died. Bears occasionally visited 
the town as late as 1835, which was not to be wondered 
at, as a better range or more dense thicket for all manner 
of'" varmints " could no where be found than along the 
bayou from Adams street south. As for deer, they were 
almost as common as cattle, though they were not so apt 
to venture into town. 

Another thing that my friend Billy speaks ot, and 
which I have myself noticed, was the number of old 
fields, both on the bluff and for miles around, that ap- 
peared to have been turned out for an age. Some places 
were nearly covered with grass, others with bushes, but 
most commonly with blackberry vines, the remains of an 



304 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

old hearth, and, perhaps, a well might also be foiuid. 
Who cultivated these fields is probably now wholly un- 
known, but if it were by Indians, they done it in a man- 
ner that would be creditable to an}^ farmers at the 
present day, for the rows were not only laid off reg- 
ularly, but the ridges thrown up higher than at present; 
showing, as he says, that they must have been worked 
with powerful turning plows. 

Billy, after serving a time with old Paddy, and then 
swinging round the circle, whipping up a couple of lazy 
mules, was next placed behind the counter of Jos. L, 
Davis,' afterward Lawrence & Davis, Commission Mer- 
chants. Uncle Billy Carter, as he is called, seems to 
have prospered in everything. What he is now worth I 
don't know, but it must be considerable. There is much 
other matter connected with this communication that is 
equall}^ interesting with the foregoing cullings, which I 
shall be compelled to omit for the present. 



TILMAN BETTIS AND SOLOMAN ROZZELL. 



The gentlemen whose names head this article set- 
tled about three miles east of this place in 1820, on 
adjoining farms. They were good farmers and good 
citizens, and though difl'erent in temperament, were very 
much attached to each other. Mr. Bettis was rather on 
the free-and-easy order, fond of his glass, his friends and 
a good joke; took the world easy and seemed to care but 
little about the opinion of others. Mr. Eozzell was 
reserved, unsocial, and with the exception of neighbors 
Anderson B. Carr and Tillman Bettis, generally uncon- 
fiding, though in monetary and commercial affairs he 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 305 

thought there was nobody like M. B. Winchester; but in 
this he was not at all peculiar. But old Till, and Sol., as 
the}^ were commonly called, differed in almost all things 
outside of farming. While the former was a strong whig, 
the latter was an uncompromising Democrat. In re- 
ligion they appeared to have changed positions. The 
former was a calm, but devout Presbyterian, while the 
latter was one of the most demonstrative of Methodists. 
There was one thing that may have had something to do 
with uniting them. Neither could have recognized his 
name in the plainest of print. This was a matter that 
old Sol. was very sensitive about, while Till, did not 
care who knew it, or what they said about it; and it 
would have been much better for his neighbor had he 
pursued a similar course. Numerous anecdotes might 
be told of these worthy men, but I shall confine myself 
at present to but one. At the first election for School 
Commissioners in this county two very competent men 
were named, and as no opposition ticket was suggested 
their election seemed certain, and but little interest was- 
evinced until the day of election. On that day, how, 
ever, a secret ticket was put forth and very indus- 
triously circulated, and when the vote was counted 
out it' was found that Solomon Rozzell and Tilman 
Bettis were duly elected School Commissioners for Shelby 
County. When Sol. heard it he got very angry, mounted 
his horse and went immediately to see his brother Com- 
missioner. 

" Friend Tilman," he said, " have you heard what 
these dirty fellows have done?— gone and elected you 
and me School Commissioners, when they know we have 
no larniu'. " 

"Never mind," said Till, "don't say a word anj we'll 
beat them yet." 

20 



^06 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

" But," replied Sol., "it's done through disrespect." 

"Never mind," continued Till, "you will make it 
worse by getting mad; keep quiet and let me work this 
thing." 

Not long after a candidate for teacher presented him- 
self to old Sol. " Go to Mr. Bettis," said that worthy, 
"I'll have nothing to do with it." 

Mr. Bettis told the applicant to meet him and the 
other Commissioner at the office of. Doctor Trezevant on 
a certain day for examination. At the specified time the 
two officials met — the one all confidence and self-pos- 
session, the other morose and sullen. Doctor Trezevant 
had piled up the various books, commencing with the 
higher and terminating with the primary. 

" Now," said Till, to his associate, " all you have to do 
is to keep quiet and look knowing." 

This was easy enough for the person addressed, as he 
had been practicing it from his childhood up. When 
the candidate was admitted, and seated, Till, took from 
>the pile the upper book, presenting it with the request : 

" Please explain this, sir." 

*^ This," said the party under examination, " is Web- 
feter^s Elementary Spelling Book," and proceeded elabor- 
atel}^ to explain, giving specimens of pronunciation, etc. 
In like manner he was handed, in turn, and went through 
all others. Occasionally Till, would interrupt him with, 
" explain that over again, if j^ou please." The poor fellow 
would repeat the sentence with the greatest precision, 
iest he should commit an error, grammatical or otherwise, 
and exhibiting at the same time a nervous uneasiness; 
and well he might, for there sat the modern Solomon, 
whose ample brow bespoke a perfect storehouse of 
scholastic lore, and whose features proclaimed him a fit 
representative, if not an improvement, on his original 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 307 

namesake, while the searching e3^e of his interrogator 
was well calculated to unnerve almost an^^one. The man 
was finall3^ dismissed with the information that if- he 
would call on the morrow he would learn their decision. 
No sooner was he fairl}^ out of hearing than old Till, laid 
back and laughed heartily, in which Dr. Trezevant 
joined. Old Sol. rose with the exclamation, " shucks on 
such foolishness!" and was making for the door, when 
Till, called him back to know what his decision was in 
the matter. 

"You and the Doctor fix that up to suit yourselves," 
answered Sol., and hurried off. It was finally decided 
that Doctor Trezevant should make out a report accord- 
ing to his own judgment, and sign their names to it. 
The result was that the man got the position, but was 
badly plagued when he learned that the men who ex- 
amined and caused him such alarm was not coUesfian 
graduates. 



MAJOR EDWIN HICKMAN. 



I think it was in the 3^ear 1820 that Major Hickman 
came here. He first opened one of the most beautiful 
farms in this neighborhood which, in 1830, he sold to 
John B. Rodgers, investing his means in town property, 
and some kind of stocks, which seemeH to yield him a 
handsome income; at least he always appeared to have 
plenty of money, and was by no means sparing of it. 
Anybod}^ could borrow money from him that desired. 
Fortunately for him we did not have as many borrowers 
as at present. He was the controlling spirit among the 
fast young men, not to the extent, however, of Gus. Young 
and others; but exercised a moral and restraining in- 



308 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

fluence over them, which was not without its beneficial 
effect; and although he at times drank to great excess, 
yet so S3^stematicthat I never saw him unfit for the best 
ladies' societ}^ 

He, however, broke off, and for the last twenty-five 
years of his life, was strictly a temperate man. In 
fact, he was one of the most perfect specimens of a true 
gentleman in manners, dress, and general deportment I 
ever knew. Although an incorrigible bachelor, he was 
still a great favorite with the ladies, and well he might 
be, for no woman wanted a friend, where he was, that 
did not find one in Major Hickman: 

His first business engagement, I believe, after farming, 
was the firm of Hickman & Sappington, the latter his 
cousin, Benjamin R., still living, and now a citizen 
of San Antonia, Texas. They established the first 
wharfboat here, and kept it some three or four years. 
After which they established the old Exchange Hotel, 
where the Overton now stands, except that it fronted on 
the river, the Exchange Building having since been 
erected. It was a decided improvement on anything of 
the kind ever before attempted on this bluff. The 
Major was in no wise a business man, yet he was one of 
the greatest accessions to the hotel. His dignified, 
though easy and graceful manner, done more to draw 
custom than it was perhaps possible for bountiful tables 
or other accommodations, had such been wanting, to have 
done. When Hon. Henry Clay was here in 1843, he was 
at the Exchange two days before he learned that the 
Major w^as a Democrat, and expressed his surprise that 
anyone, during such times, could extend such uibane 
manners to a political opponent. As Mayor of the city, 
which office he held several terms, the qualities he had 
so fuU}^ displa3^ed as landlord were even more admirably 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 309 

exemplified, and while some refused to vote for liim on 
the grounds that he done nothing, a greater number 
averred that his gentlemanly manner done more to ad- 
vance the interest of Memphis than the labor or atten- 
tion of any other man could accomplish. When the 
family of Doctor M. B. Sappington moved to Texas it 
was not the original design of the Major to have accom- 
panied them, but the separation was too much, and with 
a view of an early return, he proposed to see them safe 
there, and the separation was deferred until a score of 
3-ears had intervened, when death brought about what 
moral courage, opposed by affection, had so signally 
failed in. My sister, Mis. B. R. Sappington, sent me 
his photograph, with a view of having it lithographed 
for this publication, and although more than four score 
years had passed over it, no nobler head could have 
adorned these pages ; yet, for reasons not necessary to 
mention, I am compelled to delay its production until 
another addition. 



SICKNESS IN MEMPHIS. 



In 1827 this locality was first visited by the buffalo 
knats, that came near killing all the cattle. This was 
followed by what was known as the Dingue, or break- 
bone fever, a kind of disease that makes one feel more 
like committing suicide than any other, perhaps, that 
flesh is heir to, though seldom fatal. This was followed 
by a malignant character of billions fevor, and at one 
time near half the citizens of town were down with it; 
yet, in proportion to the number affected, there were 
comparatively few deaths. It, however, gave the place 



310 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

a bad name for health, which was the first heavj^ draw- 
back Memphis ever received, and from which it took- 
years to recover, and that, too, at a time when her pros- 
pects were brightest. 

In the fall of 1832 the cholera first visited this coiintr3\ 
The old steamer Freedom distributed it all along the 
river, from Louisville to New Orleans. Memphis escaped 
better than almost any other place. We have since been 
visited by it several times, but generally in a less malig- 
nant form. The yellow fever has visited here three 
times, though never what might be called in a severe 
form. 

I honestly believe Memphis to be the healthiest place 
on this river, from the mouth of the Missouri river down.- 
It will certainly compare favorably with St. Louis. 



THE LAWRENCE FAMILY. 



One of the most prominent families of earl}^ days on 
this bluff*, was the Lawrences. There were five brothers v 
John B., William, James H., Robert, and B., Levett. 

William Lawrence came here in 1818. He was a man- 
of far more than ordinary scientific and commercial abil- 
it}^, A Civil Engineer by profession, he laved off" the 
town of Memphis originally, from the bayou, north, to 
Union street, and from the river to the alley east of Third 
street. Take the map of Memphis, and compare any of 
the additions with the original plat, and you will be sur- 
prised to see how far they fall behind it in regularity,. 
beauty, etc. He surveyed many large tracts of land in 
the district, and, I think, was at one time Surveyor- Gen- 
eral. He was also the first Clerk of the Circuit Court,. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 311 

in 1828. He established the first Commission House on 
the bluff, in connection with Kobert Fearu. He died in 
1831. Had his life been spared he would, undoubtedly, 
have proved one of the most prosperous merchants here. 
His widow still survives, though his children, three in 
number, are all dead. Dr. John S. Williams, of Arkan- 
sas, married one of his daughters. 

Robert Lawrence, with Joseph L. Davis, succeeded his 
brother William in business. Bob, as he was always 
called, could play his part in any crowd, from the free- 
and-easy up. His name appears in several of my stories, 
which portraj^s his jovial disposition. 

James H. Lawrence, the cleverest of the family, I 
think — which is sajnng a great deal — left some three or 
more children, Mrs. H. D. Connell being one, and James 
H. Lawrence, Jr., another. From this branch, alone, the 
family are likel}^ to be perpetuated, at least the name. 
Mrs. Connell has several children, and James has, I think, 
as many as four sons. 

Captain B. Levett Lawrence commanded several steam- 
boats, having followed the business some fifteen or twenty 
years. He died in 1849 — I think childless. 



OUR FIRST BUSINESS MEN. 



Jos. L. Davis, established the first cotton press; Thos. 
B. Carr, the first tannery; Nathaniel Ragland, the first 
drug store; Seth M. Nelson, the first bakery; John F. 
Schabell, the first tailor shop; Samuel Runkle, the first 
tin-shop; Stith M. Nelson, the first bakery; Gordon Simp- 
son, the first butchery; C. C. Locke, the first saddlery; 
Dick Hinds, the first brickyard ; the late Hezekiah Cobb, 



312 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

the first sawmill; W. 0. Lofland, the first flouring mill; 
Isaac Rawlings, first insurance ofllice. Dr. Frank Graham 
was the first resident phy,sician; R. C. McAlpin, first res- 
ident lawyer ; John R. Kfint, first resident carpenter ; John 
W. Fowler, first plasterer; Wm. B. Dare, first bricklayer; 
Rev. Elijah Cofl'ey, first shoemaker; Silas T. Toncray, 
first silver smith and jeweler; the late Rachel Tarlton, 
first Milliner; Robert Quinly, first blacksmith. 



NAMES OF OLD CITIZENS. 



The following named persons, having failed to appear 
in any of my stories or elsewhere in this work, from the 
fact that they had no direct connection with any subject 
matter treated, are not the less deserving of mention : 

Wash H. Bolton, George Watson, Britton Duke, John C. 
Davenport, Silas Buck, L. C. Adkinson, Archibald Wal- 
ker, John W. Haynes, Capt. Rufe Fritz, John Fritz, Robb 
<fe Atwood, Merchants; W. B. Dabney, Wm. B. Turley, V. 
D. Barrey, Granville D. Searcey, Wm. H. Bayliss, John 
L. Brown, R. D. Starr, G. W. Fisher, John Y. Bayliss, 
J. W. Todd, S. A. Norton, Jas. Banks, Andrew Gwynne, 
James Penn, Wm. Underwood, W. K. Boston, James 
Wickersham, Dr. Wm. V. Taylor, Squire Jesse Waldran, 
J. W. A. Pettit, S B. Williamson, S. W. Jefferson, 
Daniel Hughes, R.L. Kay, Ben. Wright, Zack Edmonds, 
Jocob Bean, Joseph Withams, A. J. Wells, Barnett Gra- 
ham, Wash Runkle, Silas Buck, Arch Walker, Boler 
Cocke, John and James Kimble, A. H. Davis, James 
Hardaway, Lem. Hardaway, Charles and John Harda- 
v^ay, John B. Moseley, David O. Doole}^, Wm. D. Gilmore, 
Dr. Hugh Wheatley, Calvin Goodman, John L. Sweeney, 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 313 

George Flaliert^y, David Park, Sam. Tark, Jesse D. Carr, 
T. B. Smith, Sam Allen, Alex. Allen, Jno. W. Fuller, 
Zacli. Joiner, James and Wiley Kimbro, John and Ed- 
ward Manning, Starke Redick, Moses Ingersoll. 



DR. MICHAEL GABBERT. 



It does me good to write of such a man as old Mike 
Gabbert — one that would get up at any hour of the night 
— rain or shine — to visit a patient, without stopping to 
inquire, if it was or not a paying case. He did more 
free practice, I expect, than any other physician has 
ever done on this bluff, and if one's good actions in this 
world is any recommendation to him in the next, (and 
who will say they are not!) old Mike Gabbert is certainly 
in heaven, for he did freely " cast bread upon the waters." 
He came nearer following the golden rule — " Do unto 
others as you would have them do unto you" — than any 
man we ever knew. 



THE MOUTH OF WOLF RIVER. 



" The Mouth of Wolf" once shared with the " Chicka- 
saw Blufts " as a designation for this point; and to read 
some documents — the John Rice grant for instance — an 
unsophisticated person might suppose that Wolf river 
was greater than the Mississippi. It has certainly ex- 
ercised considerable influence in locating the city land- 
ing, and indeed upon the wavering fortunes of the city 
itself. When John Rice laid his grant, in 1783, the 
mouth of Wolf was lower down than the foot of Jefferson 
street. This statement, for a number of years, was based 



314 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

wholly upon my assertion, and doubted by some; but I 
have since got ample documentary evidence for it. 
Thirty-five years later, it was in the rear of where the 
County Jail now stands. By this freak, John — or rather, 
his assigns — lost just half a mile of the finest part of 
their river front — for he had selected that as his starting 
or processional point. The Ramsey grant, however, 
gained what the former had lost, which, instead of begin- 
ning away down in Fort Pickering, found its northern 
boundary up at Beal street. But all this has been pre- 
viously set torth, and I will simply add here that the 
mouth of Wolf river is to-day two hundred yards further 
up than it was ten years ago. 

"fresh fish." 
The mouth of Wolf has ever been a great place for 
fishing, and quite a number of fishing and family boat& 
are at all times huddled around it. Whether it is possi- 
ble to keep such a place decent or not, I am unable to 
say, but it seems that it never is, and it is almost suffi- 
cient to turn one against fresh fish to smell the stench 
and witness the filth}^ sights that surround the localities 
where they are caught and prepared for market. 

MOSQUITOES, 

The mouth of Wolf river has always been noted for the 
number and fierceness of its mosquitoes. There, in 
spring, they first assemble, and " there they longest 
tarry." Speaking of mosquitoes, they are nothing to 
compare to what they used to be, and some species of 
them seem to have disappeared entirely; and as the 
balance may follow soon, (God grant they maj^), it 
probably will not be amiss to perpetuate their memory 
here. The spring mosquito was a small, red one, very 
hardy and of a powerful constitution, for they labored 



x'HE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 315 

night and day. Their sting was not so severe, but la 
number they made up for that deficiency. They swarmed 
around one's head to such an extent that inhaling them 
was of common occurrence. Their number at the mouth 
of Wolf was said to be so gn at that if a man would 
thrust his arm forward and jerk it hastily back, he would 
leave a momentary but distinct vacuum through the 
dense mass. These were succeeded b}' the " graybacks," 
much larger and more severe in their bite, but not so 
incessant and otherwise annojdng. Then came the galli- 
nipper — (this is the species about to become extinct, 
if it has not already done so, for I have not seen one in 
over thirt}^ years, though I am told a few still visit the 
mouth of Wolf.) They were very large, the body and 
thighs being covered with fur, and in sting I would 
give the preference to the bumblebee. The graybacks 
were succeeded by the specklebacks, being larger than 
the former and possessed of some of the qualities of the 
galiinipper. They squat down to their work and kick up 
their long legs behind them. After the speckleback 
came a black (the present) mosquito, who, if the weather 
is not too severe, will stick by 3^ou all winter, but will not 
disturb you in day time. 

ANECDOTES. 

A stranger once, coming down by Frame's Island, with 
a bush in hand, fighting the mosquitoes off as hard as he 
could, saw a boy wiUi his pole set out, fishing, while he 
was stamping and flapping his hands in all directions, 
the great difficulty appearing to be that he wanted full a 
dozen more hands for the same purpose. 

"Well, my son," said the man, "the mosquitoes are 
ver}^ bad here." 

" No," said the boy, still slapping, "not much here, 



316 HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. 

but when you get down to the mouth of Wolf they'll give 
you h— 11." 

A steamer in early days put into the mouth of Wolf. 
She had been hailed a short distance above, and had 
sent out and taken on a passenger, who turned out to 
have no money. The captain was very mad about it, 
and was going to put him ashore there. The poor fel- 
low begged very hard, but to no purpose, when he turned 
to the passengers and begged them to loan h'im the 
money. One of them, a mischievous fellow, replied: 

" If you will strip your back and lay down for five 
minutes, so that the mosquitoes can have a fair swig at 
you, I will pay your passage." 

To his surprise the proposition was accepted, and the 
poor fellow, shucking his shirt, lay flat upon the deck, 
with his face on his arms. In a few seconds there was 
not space for another mosquito on him, while a perfect 
cloud was hovering over him, aw^aiting their turn. The 
poor fellow's flesh would twitch and quiver, when his 
employer would hallo at him, for, according to agreement, 
he was to lay perfectly still — as though that were possi- 
ble; but he would nerve himself, determined to bear the 
torture for the time specified. About two minutes had 
elapsed, when the boss reached over and planted the fire 
end of his cigar on the fellow's back, who immediately 
threw one of his hands back, exclaiming — 

"No mosquito — gallinipper, by G d !" when the 

sufferer was relieved and his passage paid. 



We cannot resist the desire to return our sincere ac- 
knowledgments to Mr. Tom Gale for material aid in the 
publication of this book; and to Mr. Clem Ferguson, the 
Binder, for the splendid manner in which he has bound it. 



THE OLD TIMES PAPERS. 



317 



OLD FOLKS OF SHELBY COUNTY." 



We do not know of any thing more appropriate with 
which to close our book than the following list of officers 
and members of the chartered organization of the " Old 
Folks of Shelby County:" 

OFFICEPtS : 

William B. Waldran, President. 
John T. Stratton, Vice-President. 
Jesse P. Prescott, Recording Secretary. 
Ben. Richmond, Financial Secretary. 
Kobert A. Parker, Treasurer. 



BOARD OF MANAGERS 



William Chase, 
J. Rich Wray, 
T. W. Hoist, 
A. C. Bettis, 
S. H. Dunscomb, 



W. W. Ware, 
J. Halstead, 
Wm. Farris, 
James M. White, 
George Mellersh. 



Ashford, W. J. 
Avery, W. T. 
Abernathy, J. R. 
Baker, J. C. 
Beamish, Jolia 
Bettis, W. T. 
Bleckly, T. C. 
Brown, Wm. 
Boisseau, D 
Brinkley, Hngli L. 
Bettis, A. C. 
Bo wen, F. F. 
Bruce, W. S. 
Bayliss, B. 
Bourne, James T. 
Bruce, N. S. 
Cayce, M. C. 
Church, C. B. 
Chase, Wm, 



MEMBERS. 

Cheek, George W. 
Coleman, B. F. 
Cubbins, Jno. 
Cubbins, Thos. 
Coleman, Jas. 
Cochran, R. L. 
Dcebler, R. K. 
Dooley, Felix G. 
Duval, A. L. 
Dunscomb, S. H. 
DuPre, L. J. 
Davis, James D. 
Drew, A. W. 
Drake, Jno. 
Eckles, Simeon. 
Eckles, G. F. 
Edmondson, J. II. 
Elliott, Wm. 
Elliott, JohnD. 



Elliott, Joseph. 
Flaherty, James. 
Frankland, A. E. 
Ford, Newton. 
Frayser, J. D. 
Ferguson, H. 31. 
Farris, Wm. 
Goodwyn, W. A, 
Goodlett, H. E. 
Griffing, W. L. 
Gift, George W. 
Goodlett, J. H. 
Grider, W. H. 
Greenlaw, W. B., Jr, 
Hargan, C. J. 
Halstead, J. 
Harder, H. 
Hite, R. C. 
Hills, T. E. 







"-^ 


318 


HISTORY OF MEMPHIS. ' ^ 


Hill, John C. 


Mellersh, F. 


Sims, M. L. 


Hall, Josepb. 


Murphy, J, J. 


Trader, D. C. 


Hardin, W. F. 


Oliver, C. B. 


Taylor, Thomas T. 


Hills, Bart. 


Phelon, B. . 


Trezevant, J. P. 


Hoist, T. W. 


Parker, R. A. 


Trousdale, Leon. 


Hoffman, J. P. 


J'atrick, J. M-. 


Tuiby, T. B. 


Jones, Reuben S. 


Prescott, Jesse P. 


Vaccaro, A. 


Jones, 0. C. 


Prescott, Oscar F. 


Vance, W. L. 


Jones, J. R. 


Park, Wm. 


Wolf, Tobias. 


Jones, Felix M. 


Padgett, C. 


White, J. M. • 


Kimbro, A. L. 


Powell, George R. 


Weaver, J. C. 


Kney, Charles. 


Pollock, Julius A. 


Waldran, W. B. 


Lonsdale, J. G., Sr. 


Robertson, George. 


Walton, E. J. 


Lake, W. H. 


Richmond, B. 


Ward, J. C. 


Leonard, Thos. 


Robinson, John B. 


Ware, W. W. 


Lamb, S. H. 


Simpson, James A. 


Wallace, A. 


Looney, R. F. 


Snowdon, H. P. 


Watson, K. P. 


Lenow, Joseph. 


Stratton, John T. 


Wray, J. R. 


Lofland, W. 0. 


Stark, J. B. 


Wormeley, Ralph. 


Mason, R. M. 


Specht, Joseph 


Williams, J. D. 


McLean, Charles D. 


Swayue, J. T. 


Williams, J. M. 


Molitor, F. 


Speed, John H. 


Wilkins, J. S. 


McCallum, W. D. 


Smith, F. W. 


Winchester, Geo. W, 


Moore, C. B. 


Stewart, M. D. L. 


Winn, K. J. B. L. 


Mallory, T. S. i 


Steinkuhl, Jacob. 


Williams, Joseph R. 


Magevney, M. 


Steinkuhl, C. D. 


Woodruff, Amos. 


Mellersh, George. 


Saint, J. C. 


Zent, John. 




HONOR ARY MEMRERS : 


Adams, Nathan. 


Fleming, J. M. 


Parham, Rev. Thos. 


Bynum, B. C. D. 


Latham, F. S. 


Robertson, J. C. N. 


Chester, R. J. . 


Mullius, L. D. 


Watson, Rev. S. 


Davidson, Rev. T. P 


\ McMackin, T. C. 


White, Rev. Geo. 


Evans, Rev. R. R. 


McNeill, E. P. 

DEATHS SINCE 1871 




Bowen, John H. 


Dunlap, W. C. 


Worsham, J. J. 


Chandler, W. R. 


Hoist, J. C. 


Cochran, M. E. 


Harris, E. R. 


Banks, James, 


Granger, George. 


Bills, John H* 


Edmonson, A. J.* 


Starr, R. D. 


Honorary Members. 







I^'DBX. 



PAGE 

PREFACE 3 

HISTORY OF. MEMPHIS 7 

THE JOHN RICE GRANT 7 

THE JOHN RAMSEY GRANT 01 

HISTORY OF THE RICE AND RAMSEY GR \NTS 13 

DESCRIPTION OF MEMPHIS IN 1820 27 

MEMPHIS RAILROADS IN EARLY DAYS 31 

DISTINGUISHED RAILROAD MEN 32 

LIST OF MAYORS AND ALDERMEN. 33 

MARTIAL LAW 42 

LIST OF CITY OFFICERS AT PRESENT DATE— CITY SCHOOLS. .. 49 

POLICEMEN 50 

FIRE DEPARTMENT 51 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 53 

RAWLINGS AND WINCHESTER— An Episode— The Rivals— Memphis 
Astonished— A Model Mayor— A Wonderful Election and Rare Old 
Men— The First Memphis Bank— A Hard Story— The Gamble;-s— Mur- 

rel's Clan, etc., etc 56 

AN ADDITIONAL STORY OF RAWLINGS AND WINCHESTER— A 

Unique Election— Hard Cases— Fandy Wright and Robert Dale Owen . 80 
UNCLE BILLY YATES— Uncle Billy's Worst Enemy— Somewhat Per- 
sonal—Terrible Vengeance 86 

FIRST SEA FIGHT AT MEMPHIS-THE FLATBOAT WAR— The 
Three Towns— A Fatal Bhmder— An Immortal Constiible-A Terrible 

Tragedy 96 

ANECDOTE 01^ TOM HARALDSON 103 

DAMON AND PYTHIAS— An Exciting Election— The two Topps and a 

Model Voter 105 

HISTORY OF PINCH— ORIGIN OF THE WORD— Sectional Fends and 
their Results— Crockett and Eppy White— Drowning out the People— 
J. D. Currin— Famous Leaders— Squire Richards— Outrage upon Steam- 
boats— A New Philosophy 109 

EARLY REMINISCENCES— A CHAPTER FOR THE OLD FOLKS 119 

THE OLD BELL TAVERN— General Jackson and Paddy Meagher— Presi- 
dent's Island- Paddy's Hen and Chickens— Jackson and Benton 126 



320 INDEX. 

SHAKEEAG 136 

TWO WONDERFUL MEN-CHAELES LOFLAND AND DAVY 

CEOCKET— The way Crockett beat Huntsman 137 

SINGULAE-A EEMAEKABLE MEETING 157 

REMINISCENCES OF FOY'S POINT— The Foys— The first Memnhis 
Love Storj'— Earthquakes— The Pedraza Hotel— The Camp-Meeting and 
. Gamblers— Wappanocha— The Prophets— The Duels— Phillip S. White 

and Gus Young- Terrible Incident, 162 

RECEPTION OF COLONEL RICHARD M. JOHNSON IN MEMPHIS 

IN 1844 183 

THE BATTUEE— The Indians— A New State— The First Elevator— F. P. 
Stanton— How the Navy Yard was knocked into '' Pi "— A Double- 

Barreled Editor— The Great Iron Steamship 194 

THE CHURCHES OF MEMPHIS IN EAELY DAYS— ..\ Love Story— Old 
Brother Davidson— Brother Coffey— S. T, Toncray— A Memorable 
Disaster— Eev. Samuel Williamson— F. A. Owen and P. T. Scruggs- 
Father Moody 219 

CHAELE3 D. McLE AN 244 

THE FIRST FIEE CO MPANY— A Curious Story, 245 

ANOTHEE KISTOEIAN, 257 

ANSWER TO " LANG SYNE-A Prayer Guage in Old Times 258 

HEZEKIAH COBB 261 

OLD SAM BROWN 263 

CHARLES B. MURRAY 269 

A BRAVE ACT 273 

FRANCES WRIGHT, (D'ARUSMONT), 274 

BARTON RICHMOND, THE MONEY-KING OF THE SOUTH 284 

UNCLE LOUIS TREZEVANT, 286 

BAD BOYS OF EARLY DAYS, 291 

THE TURNING POINT OF LIFE, 295 

RELIC OF EARLY GRANDEUR^DEATH OF MISS MARIA A. EATON, 297 

WILLIAM CARTER, 300 

TILMAN BETTIS AND SOLOMON EOZZELL 304 

MAJOR EDWIN HICKMAN, 307 

SICKNESS IN MEMPHIS 309 

THE LAWRENCE FAMILY, 310 

OUR FIRST BUSINESS MEN, 311 

NAMES OF OLD CITIZENS, 312 

DR. MICHAEL GABBERT.-THE MOUTH OF WOLF RIVER— "Fresh 
Fish "-Mosquitoes 313 

TH ^ " OLD FOLKS OF SHELBY COUNTY,'' 317 

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